


To Break Him

by Darling_Pandora



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Hugs, Hurt Steve Rogers, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapped Tony Stark, Kidnapping, M/M, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Pain, Pre-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Protective Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Tony Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-09-13 07:17:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 24,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16888074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darling_Pandora/pseuds/Darling_Pandora
Summary: Hope... one of the most addictive and powerful forces, it can be a cruel mistress, it’s that feeling of hope- even the slightest and most unlikely chances of it that can keep you sane, keep you going, but it can also keep you from the truth and keep you from accepting the inevitable. The second the rising water reached Tony’s chin was the second he accepted his inevitable, this was it, this was how he was going to die...Tony is taken captive and Steve must do everything he can to get him back.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hellooooo! Well, I’ve been meaning to write this story for a very verrry long time now, and I suddenly got bit by the writing bug and....here it is :) this is my very first attempt at writing anything, so I honestly have no idea if it’s any good or not- so I’d genuinely love to hear what you guys think if you’d like to leave any comments there will be much love!
> 
> But if there is any enthusiasm for this story at all, I’ve practically got the whole thing drafted already, so let me know and I’ll start chucking out the next chapters left right and centre.  
> The story switches between the point of view of both Steve and Tony and each chapter will state at the begin whose point of view that chapters will be. Warnings for torture and adult themes.
> 
> There will be some short chapters to beging with but they definitely lengthen out as the story progresses. 
> 
> Okey dokey, enjoy :) xxx

TONY:

The irony of the situation should have seriously had him contemplating if the universe really does have a conscience as well as a sick sense of humour- weeks without alcohol and having craved nothing but the bliss of oblivion that it can bring, to now be waking up feeling as though he’d drank the best part of a gallon of ethanol left him feeling particularly confused, he knew he hadn’t touched a drop of all alcohol in nearly a month. 

Tony made to bring his fingers to his temples to massage away some of the tension caused by his splitting headache when dread suddenly flooded his system, he found that he was unable to move his arms even an inch from where they were seemingly secured by his sides to the surface he was laying on.

The grip of the cold meal circling his wrists was unrelenting in his attempt to free his hands, he tried to open his eyes to assess his current situation only to find oppressing blackness starring back at him. In assessing the rest of his body he found that his legs were also bound with thin metal bands holding place over his thighs and ankles. 

Panic, though logical- seemed unhelpful at this moment as Tony came to the conclusion he must have been drugged and kidnapped....great. The last thing he could remember before waking up here was having left the tower after an argument with Steve... and then, nothing. Judging by the ache in his lower back and the hunger pangs in his stomachs it must have been at least 24 hours since then. 

The drugs in his system must be been extremely strong stuff, he felt very disorientated and rather dizzy, the smell of dirt and damp in the air was making him feel particularly queasy. Again, he attempted to take stock of his surroundings in the hope of planning an escape and on looking around through the heavy darkness he could just about make out a steady, single red light... a camera, he was being watched.


	2. Chapter 2

STEVE: 

The argument with Tony had been nothing more uncommon to the previous ones they’d had at the beginning when the team had first moved into Stark tower, the pair of them seemed to butt heads from the very get go. 

It had been a good few months now since the attack on New York and the newly formed Avengers had slowly been getting to know each other. With the destruction and devastation of the attack still raw and fresh in the minds of the public, having the Avengers together in the heart of the city seemed only right, and they found themselves living with one and only Tony Stark, genius, billionaire, aggravating pain in the rear.

In the early days of the Avengers forming there was still a constant tension between himself and Tony, there were augments, there was mistrust and he was sure that Tony actually enjoyed being relatively irritating. However as time went on they slowly began to get used to each others company. 

Clint enjoyed forcing the team to sit down to watch awful action movies together and Natasha turned out to be surprisingly talented at cooking- so group dinners became a weekly occurrence, and with the practical need for the team to train and spar together they eventually found themselves quite happy to be in each others company. 

In getting to know Tony, Steve could tell that the man was an expert in hiding and covering up what he was really feeling, but he’d slowly learned to distinguish Tony’s fake smile- all teeth and a sharp glint- from the genuine warm smile that all too infrequently lit up his face.

Steve knew that Tony’s relationship with Miss Potts had ended before he had moved into the tower but having not known him well enough at that point it seemed a little awkward to offer any help or advice. On the surface of things Tony would appear to be fine and no thanks to his enhanced hearing he had over heard him mentioning to Bruce that their relationship had been going south for a quite a while so he thought it right to end things as they were. 

As time went on Steve found himself seeking Tony’s company more and more, he wasn’t quite sure why exactly but as a result he came to know the true man behind the paparazzi smile better and better, and even though Tony’s default setting seemed to be stuck constantly on keeping those around him at arms length, Steve was slowly but surely starting to make his way over the very large and complex walls Tony had placed around himself over the years.

The bickering, disagreements and outright arguments from the early days slowly changed to discussing Tony's latest projects and armour improvements, to Steve’s love of art and current drawings. Tony would still look to tease him but Steve could see that it was more his way of banter rather than to be outright nasty. 

As things stood between them now, Steve really felt that they had a good level of trust going and really considered Tony a friend and was sure the genius shared the sentimentality. 

It was late one night and after restlessly tossing and turning for what felt like hours, Steve finally abandoned any hopes of a good night's sleep and surrendered to a long night awake. He turned on his bed side lamp and the light bathed the room in an ethereal golden glow and pulling out his drawing pad and pencils he continued a sketch he’d began earlier that week. It was drawn from memory of a picture he’d seen on Clint's phone, one of himself and Tony having a staring competition. Of course most of the team had been pretty merry – if not fully drunk- off Tony's extravagant alcohol collection and they'd been bickering on who was the strongest avenger. 

This some how ended up with Tony drunkenly challenging Steve to a staring contest of which he gladly accepted the challenge, only as they started and Steve found himself locked in eye contact with the genius he felt a sudden change in the air, everything around him blurred and his focus zeroed on the man in front of him. The sudden rush of feeling was so overwhelming he instinctively drew his eyes away and pulled backwards from the inverter feeling a sight blush creeping up his face. To no surprise Tony took that as a sure sign of his victory and began to proudly, and rather loudly proclaim himself the greatest avenger. 

Unsurprisingly, Tony didn't even seem to remember anything of that night when morning broke the following day, and with Tony eloquently proclaiming a headache that could feel a tree and a mouth as dry as a nun’s vagina he rather quickly left the common room they'd all fallen asleep in and retreated to his workshop. That was the last he’d seen of Tony for the next 7 days. 

But within that moment captured in a single picture Clint had taken of the two of them during the staring match, Steve had seen something that he couldn't quite make out, something in both their eyes, and in recording it down on paper he could study it closer. 

It was around 3am when Steve was suddenly startled out of his focus by a rather unusually alarmed sounding Jarvis.

“Captain Rogers, I am extremely sorry to disturb you- especially so late at night, but I may be in need of your assistance”, Jarvis stated without pause. 

“Of course Jarvis, what is it, what's happened?” Steve said already swinging his legs out of the bed.

“It appears that Sir has quite badly hurt his arm, he has forbidden me from seeking professional medical assistance and as you know I can not disobey his orders, however my primary function is to care for Sir's welfare and since you appear to be the only other person awake at present, I was hoping you would be able to assess his injury?” 

Dear God what had Tony done to himself, Steve’s mind was running a mile a second with images of Tony laying hurt somewhere in his in his workshop alone and refusing help, that stubborn, stupid man. 

Steve hurried out of his room and ran quickly to the nearest elevator to take him down the Tony. The ride down felt like an eternity as he stood there not knowing what to expect, he hadn’t seen Tony for around 7 days and had the feeling that the inventor had been hiding himself away and avoiding everyone. On many occasions within that last week Steve had asked Jarvis how Tony was, or to invite him to join them for lunch, or even if he wanted to join them for a movie, however each time Jarvis responded with _“Sir is very busy at this moment with his projects”,_ or some sort of excuse leaving Steve to wonder what was going on with the genius, he had gotten so used to Tony actually being around that he keenly noticed this strange absence. 

The elevator doors slid open and Steve came face to face with the glass panelling separating Tony from the rest of the world.

“Jarvis?” Steve motioned as he reached the locked workshop doors, then a green light lit the panel and he was granted entrance. Steve looked around in haste but couldn’t see Tony in any of the usual places he would be. 

He then heard a sudden hiss and intake of breath from behind one of the counters, Steve carefully headed in that direction.

“Tony?” Steve called softly, not wanting to startle him, “It’s only me, Jarvis asked if I could come down and check on you”. Steve rounded the corner only to find Tony splayed none too gracefully on the floor surrounded by what looked like the shattered remains of a couple of really expensive looking bottles of whiskey, and damn it of the foolish man wasn’t stupidly pulling out some rather nasty looking pieces from his forearm! 

“Tony! What on earth happened, what did you do?!” he nearly shrieked whilst quickly crouching down to assess the damage. Tony was clearly inebriated and Steve could only presume he’d drank most of that whiskey before lodging what looked like half a bottle of glass into his arm. 

“Get lost Rogers, just leave me alone”, Tony slurred angrily as he tried and failed to pull an offending shard of glass from his arm. Steve didn't quite know why, but the use of his second name coming so harshly from Tony's mouth felt like a punch to the stomach.

There was a steady stream of blood flowing from Tony’s arm but luckily it didn't look too heavy, and most of the pieces of glass didn’t look particularly deep set, so Steve ran to where he knew the first aid kit was and returned to Tony’s side. He’d seen Tony drunk many times since moving in to the tower, but for some reason he appeared totally out of it this time, like he’d had one too many and then some- it made Steve wonder what had driven him to this, and why now?

“What happened Tony?” he asked again grabbing the inventors arm and steadying it flat on his own lap, Tony didn’t seem like he would stop Steve from helping- though he didn’t quite look sober enough to try. 

“Like it matters”, Tony mumbled quietly, staring somewhere off over Steve’s shoulder, he’d let his head roll backwards with a rather nasty thud against the surface behind him. Steve looked up from where he was gently removing the glass and could instantly tell that Tony’s red rimmed and glassy eyes were not only from the drink he’d consumed. In that instance, Steve had never seen Tony look so lost, so vulnerable,- seldom does the man ever truly let those around him really know what he was feeling or truly thinking but right in that moment, Steve could see so much hurt and doubt in Tony’s eyes. 

Steve had never wanted nothing more than to both shake the man in anger for saying something so stupid and at the same time hold him so close and tell him why, _because it matters to me,_ \- you _matter to me,_ and oh god, like an epiphany or a ten tonne truck it hit him square in the chest, Tony mattered to him, more than he knew, more than he’d thought...

Steve exhaled at the flood of emotions and tried to concentrate on cleaning up Tony's arm, it would do no good to slip now and cause more damage. He removed all the shards of glass and proceeded with cleaning and bandaging up the wounds which thankfully were not bleeding too heavily now. 

Tony was quite for a long time and Steve could have been forgiven for thinking Tony had passed out drunk, but then he winced when Steve cleaned one of the deeper wounds which seemed to bring him out of his thoughts.

“Why are you here Steve?” Tony asked with a strange tone lacing his voice, something that Steve couldn’t quite pin point. He was still staring over Steve’s shoulder not quite meeting his eyes. 

“Jarvis said you were hurt and he thought you might have needed some hel...” “No”, Tony quickly interrupted, “why _you?”_ he stated, and was now looking Steve straight in the eyes for the first time since he’d found Tony down here.

The question seemed pained to Steve’s ears and he was slightly thrown of kilter by it, he had never seen Tony so laid bare, his breathing seemed to hick and there was a slight shake to his arms, though that could have been through pain as much as the emotion that seemed to pass over his face. Tony’s eyes looked so unsure and as if desperately seeking answers to so many more unasked questions. 

Words seemed to fail him all at once and Steve could do nothing but stare into Tony's eyes, the urge to lift his hand mere inches above from where it was still placed around Tony's shaking arm to wipe away a stray tear now tracking its way down Tony’s face was almost overwhelming. But all at once Tony appeared to pull himself from his inner turmoil and swiped at his tears in anger. 

“Doesn’t matter, I’ll be fine”, Tony said coldly and devoid of much feeling, “Dummy, clean up this mess, I'm going to bed”.

“Are you sure you'll be alight Tony?” Steve said with concern whilst watching Tony all to quickly pull away from him and on unsteady legs make his way towards the elevator.

“I’m always alright,” was the last thing Steve heard from the retreating man.


	3. Chapter 3

STEVE:

Tony still hadn’t appeared even a few days after that night but when he eventually did, he was in full Stark reset mode, strutting into the common room all smiles, pleasantries and emotional guard right up as it happens. 

And as the weeks passed since the incident in the workshop it seemed as though he was set on completely dismissing that it even happened. He never brought it up and acted as though everything was fine with the world. Steve tried to keep a close eye on Tony knowing that the man was definitely bottling up a hell of a lot of doubt and emotion, and a couple of time he caught Tony staring straight at him, but it was like he didn’t even realise he was doing it, like he was looking straight at him but right through him at the same time. Though when he realised what he was doing he swiftly averted his gaze and continued with whatever his concentration was on previously.

In the passing weeks Steve was pretty sure Tony had actually been drinking less and it was even possible that he hadn’t touched a drop since he had not once seen Tony with a tumbler or bottle in hand.

\------------------------------  
Steve knew this relatively quiet spell the city was going through wouldn’t last long and as if his thoughts had jinxed that calm, the Avengers received news of an attack. 

Being a natural leader and having the responsibility of heading the Avengers, Steve knew the importance of good strategy, planning and correct formation and implemented these methods with ease. There had been quite a few attacks in and around the city since Loki’s attempted invasion but it was nothing the Avengers couldn’t handle. What Steve couldn’t seem to handle was Tony’s tendency to completely disregard said orders and rush head long into unknown and dangerous situations. 

The most recent attack came in the form of what appeared to be an army of giant robotic ants, S.H.I.E.L.D had provided the initial report and visuals of the city where the ants where attacking civilians and requested the assistance of the Avengers. 

All was going to plan in evacuating the civilians closest to the attack and the ants appeared relatively easy to destroy, all seemed to be going a little too easy. As if on right on cue, a grotesque bone chilling screech sounded through the city as what appeared to be an enormous robotic spider ungracefully clambered between the city buildings. 

“Well I’ll be damned, that’s one huge ass bug, relative of yours Nat?”, Clint deadpanned through the comm and unsurprisingly received nothing but a short growl in reply. 

“We need to bring it down fast, Stark could you try knocking it off balance with a blast to its legs and we’ll look for a weak spot once it’s down?” Steve called whilst dodging the rather sharp looking pincers of an attacking ant.

“Roger that Cap”, Tony replied as he glided with ease toward the many appendages of the giant spider only to dodge just at the last second a sudden tide of rancid green spray. 

“Looks like it shoots some sort of substance, could be acid so keep a good distance guys”, Tony called to the team.

“Stark, fall back and we’ll assess how best to bring this thing down safely”, Steve ordered, eyeing how close Stark was to the Spider’s gaping jaws. 

“No time Cap, this thing appears to be on course towards a section of the city which hasn’t been evacuated yet, Jarvis- find me a weak spot and we'll blow it to Kingdom come”. 

“Stark that's an order, we don't know how dangerous or corrosive that substance is yet- you may not be fully protected in that suit, fall back!”Steve commanded more strongly this time.

Tony had faith in his creations and knew that Jarvis would keep him updated on any damage to his armour and any potential risk to himself. He made the split decision that bringing down the spider now in the emptied streets would be a lot safer compared to attempting the same in the part of town still full with civilians. From Jarvis' scans he located what seemed to be a weak spot just below the spider's spewing mouth. 

Tony circle round the spider and took the opportunity to blast it from the front the second he was in range, however the moment the blasts hit- the create spewed a massive tide of the green substance straight towards him. Only his quick reactions saved him from being covered head to toe in God knows what that stuff was, unfortunately, in dodging one problem so quickly it sent him spiralling into another.

Somehow, one of the flailing legs of the spider collided with the back of his armour which sent him hurtling head first with a sickening smack into the ground below...

Through his comm he heard someone shout “Stark’s down!” and _really?_ There was no need to be so dramatic, he was fine. Though the second he lifted his head and retracted the iron Man helmet, tiny black spots danced across his vision and he was struck back with a huge wave of nausea... Ok, maybe not so fine after all. 

He desperately tried to breathe through the sudden spinning and pain rushing through his head. He heard Natasha state that the spider was down and the station was under control, so Tony decided the victory was worth a little concussion.

Suddenly, there was a strong pair of hands cupping either side of his face and it sounded like someone was asking him a question, it sounded like Steve, though he sounded far away, and why did he sound so worried?

_“Tony?_ Tony look at me,- come on Tony open you eyes!” Steve’s blood ran cold the second he saw Iron Man hit the pavement below, he knew the suit kept him well protected, but that was one hell of a nasty hit he took. 

Tony hadn't realised he'd actually closed his eyes so he thought he'd make the effort and see what had their Captain in such a worry. 

“Uh thank God, Jarvis- what are Tony's vitals?” Steve asked still concerned but relieved Tony was at least awake.

“Sir has a mild concussion and some extensive bruising to his lower back, other than that his vitals are normal, I would recommend some much needed rest and sir should be fine”, Jarvis supplied helpfully. 

Steve took in the look on Tony's face, he was very pale and slightly clammy, he was starting straight back at Steve and he realised just how close he was to the man below him, still with his face carefully cupped between his hands. Tony’s eyes seemed to dart between Steve’s and his breathing seemed shallow and quick. He was so worried that Tony may have been seriously injured that the relief in finding out he was not was almost all consuming. They were so close and the inches between them only compelled him closer...

Steve suddenly pulled himself out of where his mind was taking him and quickly pulled back before he did something stupid. Tony looked more aware now but Steve could have sworn he’d seen an expression of hurt and confusion cross Tony's face before schooling his features and making to stand up. 

Within seconds the rest of the Avengers arrived by their side and always one to down play any injury- Tony declared he was fine, just a little headache. The guys from S.H.I.E.L.D who deal with the aftermath of these battles turned up and the Avengers took that as they cue to leave. 

Back at the tower Tony was still being blasé about his injuries, and fully refusing Steve’s order to go get himself checked over at medical.  
“I'm fine Steve, honestly stop fussing, I've had worse- it’s nothing a little Bourbon can’t fix”, Tony stated with ease. Tony seemed to have so little care for his own safety and damn it if that just didn't make Steve suddenly see red.

“This is not a joke Tony, and if you’d followed my orders in the first place this wouldn't have happened!” Steve couldn't hold back, recalling how he’d ordered Tony to fall back during the fight, though the second it left his mouth be knew it was the wrong way to go about this. 

“Oh so sorry I _'disobeyed orders’,_ Captain Flawless, but it got the job done so what's your problem?!” Tony said, agitation clear in his voice.

“My problem is you willingly chose to ignore a direct order, and yes it may have worked in your favour this time- but what's to say you might not put yourself or someone else in real danger next time,- how can I _trust_ you after this?!!” Steve nearly shouted, completely exasperated- he truly didn't know where all this anger had come from, but the shock of seeing Tony badly hurt from an incident that could have been avoided didn't sit well with him.

The second he’d said that last part to Tony he could see a number of emotions fly across the inventors face, he saw hurt and was so sure he noticed a look of rejection, but Steve must have been mistaken. All to quickly, Tony schooled his features as he always expertly does and in place was a look of resignation and annoyance.

“Finally, the truth- you just don't trust me do you Steve?! Well fine, whatever -you know what I think I'll just slip away, my head is splitting in two and I need to run some diagnostics on my suit so no time like the present...” Tony rattled off without sparing a second to breathe and before Steve could do much as utter a sound, Tony was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

TONY:

Damn it, God damn fuck it all to hell! How on _Earth_ could Steve so easily get under his skin like this- how did Tony let this _happen?!_ There is but a hand full of people who’s opinions he actually gives a damn about, and even fewer who can actually make him feel so hurt by them as Steve just did. He’d always been so guarded in letting anyone truly get close to him, the ones you let into your heart are the only ones who can break it, and Tony has had enough of that for one life time. But somehow, Steve has managed to become one of those people.

Tony stalked out of the common room as quickly as his legs would take him, not waiting to hear whatever Steve was going to say in response to his tirade of rambling and not caring for another lecture he headed straight for the sanctuary of his workshop. The second the elevator doors slid shut Tony slumped against the side in defeat. 

Steve’s words echoed cruelly in his mind, _'how can I trust you!?'_ Well that just says it all doesn’t it! Had Steve said this to him months ago Tony would probably have had an endless list of things to come back at him with, but as it was, Steve’s apparent and obvious lack of trust- after all this time really did hurt, and Tony found that he just didn't have the heart to fight back after that.

Tony though back to that night about a month ago when he'd challenged Steve to that stupid staring contest, he'd been watching Steve that whole night, watched the way he his eyes lit up when he smiled, the way he grabs his chest when he truly laughs and how shy he can become when talking about himself- and my _God_ Tony had fallen for him hard, and in his drunken state his confidence had been above where it should have been. 

When their eyes met upon his challenge, Tony had stupidly _wanted_ Steve to see him- to see the emotions and feelings he held, but whatever Steve had or hadn't seen- he drew his eyes away, he _pulled back-_ like being so close to Tony was uncomfortable, like seeing was something Steve didn't even want. And that felt like a stab to the heart and the apparent dismissal of his feelings was all too much. The more rational part of Tony's brain supplied that, of course a guy like Steve wouldn't be interested in someone like him, a perfect straight man like Steve- why on God’s green Earth would he want Tony?! 

Not one to want to show his feelings, he had quickly pulled himself together and covered up any evidence of hurt by loudly announcing that he'd won the contest and celebrating by grabbing the nearest bottle of gin. Waking up the next morning after passing out drunk with the rest of the team in the common room, he had still keenly felt the disappointment from the previous night and in a bid to be as far away from the cause of it as possible he made some excuse or other and slipped away to hide from the rest of the world... and to drink his sorrows way.

And now to find out that Steve doesn’t even _trust him?!_ He'd calculated the risks and knew he’d done the right thing during that battle, so why did Steve insist on treating him like a child? He didn't know how much more of this he could take, he'd let Steve into his heart and he hadn’t even noticed how deeply rooted he was.

All to sudden the walls of his workshop seemed too close, too stifling – and all he wanted was to get out of the tower and get as far away from his heart ache as possible. Without too much thought he decided that a very long walk and some fresh air would help clear his mind. Not wanting to be detected he left swiftly and unnoticed through one of the towers more hidden exits and under the cover of darkness made his way through the night. 

Tony allowed his legs to take him where they pleased, too lost in his thoughts and not much caring for going anywhere in particular he hadn't realised he’d wondered down some of the quieter back streets, though the second he decided to turn tail and head back to the tower he suddenly felt a sharp sting to the back of the neck. He grabbed and pulled out what looked like a very sleek and worryingly large tranq dart, and that was the last thing he’d seen before the world went black.


	5. Chapter 5

TONY: 

There were no clues to be had from his soundings as to where he was or who had taken him. With his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness Tony could see the he’d been stripped of his hoodie and trainers leaving him feeling rather cold in just his jeans and a t-shirt. The metal bands securing him in place were digging sharply into his skin preventing him from moving much at all.

Again, he looked toward the steady red light glowing at the side of the room and decided he might as well get this cluster fuck of a show on the road, you need to know who you're dealing with and what they want in order to plan how to get away from them.

“Hey! As cosy as this all is – this is not how I’d really planned to spend my evening, I was aiming for a little more booze and a lot less dank, no offence, I _love_ what you've done with the place- really, got a good theme going on, but it's just a bit cliché for me, cold, damp, totally unoriginal...”, Tony prattled off deciding to not show any signs of fear when all of a sudden the metal bands encircling his limbs lit up bright blue and a flood of white hot pain course through his entire body. He seized up with the sudden shock and clenched his eyes through the rippling pain. Just as the agony seemed like it would be all too much the bands switched off and Tony was left panting and shaking with his heart rate dangerously high.

“Mr Stark, it’s a pleasure to have you with us,- well I can see that my colleagues have provided you with our finest lodgings,” a cold and self-important voice sounded from behind him, “It’s nice to see you settling in so well.” 

Still slightly reeling from the after effects of the electricity attacking his nerves, Tony chose not to respond and concentrate on bringing his breathing back to pace. 

“Not so cock sure now are you, - well fear not, we’ll be taking good care of you while you're with us,” the owner of the voice said, still out of Tony's field of vision. 

“What is it you want,” Tony thought to get straight to the point, “why am I here?”

Suddenly, he rounded the table Tony was laying on and slammed the blunt end of something very hard into the side of his head. Stars filled his vision and the unexpected sudden attack had Tony cry out in another bout of pain. He could feel a steady trickle of blood make its way down into his hairline.

Before he could pull himself together, the man in front of him grabbed him roughly by the sides of the head steadying his thrashing.

“That's the only noise I want to hear from you while you're here, no words- just pain,” his captor whispered sweetly into Tony's ear- far too close for comfort.

_“Why?!”_ Tony desperately demanded only to be stuck again just as hard on the other side of the head. Pure pain filled his senses and he almost blacked out. He received no answer from the man who now came into his field of vision. Starting straight down at Tony he held a look of pure contempt and disgust but Tony didn't recognise the face, couldn't place his accent and was no closer to guessing as to where he was being held. 

Tony watched as his captor pulled out a rather ominous and worryingly full syringe from his jacket pocket. His eyes widened and he couldn't help the groan that escaped his lips as the offending needle was plunged and emptied into his neck.

From behind him Tony heard the sound of a very heavy duty door unlocking as four masked men entered and surrounded him, well, at least he knew where the exit was now. 

The tell-tale signs of a sedative made themselves apparent and all too soon Tony's world fuzzed around the edges. He could feel himself being unrestrained and none too carefully hauled from the table. He put up as much a fight as possible landing at least one satisfying punch to the face of one of his captors, but his sluggish brain caused the world to tip on it’s axis as he was dragged to the back wall of the room.

Now being upright, Tony could make out that the room he was in was not particularly large, it was stone walled, no windows, one door and a grated vent just to the left of it up around 7 feet high. His arms were lifted above his head and stretched uncomfortably high where they were cuffed to a rope extending down from the ceiling. The sudden transfer of position in addition to the new dose of drugs had Tony reeling to hold back the wave of nausea that hit him. He wobbled on unsteady legs, torso stretched harshly to accommodate his restarted wrists and miserably his arms had already started to tingle and lose feeling from above his head. 

Tony watched as one of the masked men walked past the table in the middle of the room and over to the steady red light in the corner and the man brought forward a large recording camera and placed it off to the side facing Tony. He was pretty sure he know the score from here, Tony prepared his mind guessing that he was probably about to be on the receiving end of a pretty nasty beating and for a ransom video to be made of it. 

“They won't give it to you, what ever it is you want- you won’t get it,” Tony started with confidence still unwilling to show any weakness. 

His captor turned upon Tony's statement and glared with contempt, only to break out a second later in a full and vicious grin- “Oh don't be so sure, I'll have what I want, and you’re the key to getting it,” he spat in assurance.

The other four in the room all left as his captor pulled out a long piece of cloth from his pocket and Tony was once again deprived of his sight in being blind folded putting him at even more of a disadvantage and making him feel horribly vulnerable. 

He then received a boot to the stomach and in being completely unprepared for the hit his natural reaction to double over in pain only resulted in his arms wrenching against his restraints. 

Tony wheezed and let out a muffled cry breathing through the pain,- just breathe he thought, just breathe, I can get through a little rough play, the Avengers must be looking for me by now, it won't be long- just breathe.

“Our guest looks a little cold boys, lets show him a bit of hospitality,” he heard the sound of his captor say whilst walking away towards the door, “See if he enjoys it.” The door to the room clanged shut and leaving Tony standing alone in apprehension of what was to come.

A buzzing and low pitched sound started to emit from above him and all too suddenly he was encompassed in a dry and burning heart from above and damn it that didn't just send his mind hurtling back to that desert in Afghanistan. 

Tony struggled with all the strength he could muster against his restraints, but with the drugs limiting his energy and the rising heat of the room already getting to him he found himself quickly sweating and panting for breath. His weary legs struggled to hold his weight up, but placing pressure on his elevated arms caused an aching discomfort that he was all too certain would turn to intense pain before too long. 

The others will come for him, he was sure that if he didn't escape before too long- at least the others should get to him soon, he just had to believe.


	6. Chapter 6

STEVE:

Three days, it had been _three whole days_ and there was still no news of Tony! A report had reached the Avengers saying that a member of the public had seen a man who looked very much like Tony Stark get shot at and swiftly bundled into the back of an unmarked van which had driven off in speed. Jarvis had confirmed that Tony had indeed left the building and had not returned that night. He also informed the Avengers that Tony had taken neither a phone nor his repulsor bracelets and was therefore both unprotected and unable to communicate with them when he was taken. 

Steve was slowly but surely losing his mind, Nick Fury assured him that S.H.I.E.L.D was doing everything in their power to locate Stark and the rest of the Avengers were working round the clock in a bid to find him.

Feeling so useless with little to do but wait for any intel to act upon Steve had been pacing the common room for the last half hour, having just got back from S.H.I.E.L.D head quarters he was both restless and agitated at the lack of news and development of the situation. It was extremely strange, Tony had been taken three days ago and there had been no signs of him, no ransom, no threats, no demands for his safe return... No nothing! 

It was beginning to worry Steve that they had heard nothing, with at least some communication they could try to track a signal, recognise a location or even the kidnapper and attempt to put a decent rescue plan into action, but as it currently stands, S.H.I.E.L.D have been unable to track the van that had taken Tony and there was little else to go by in attempting to find him.

With his focus wholly on his own worry and desperation he was completely startled out of his musings when Natasha burst through the common room doors.

“STEVE! _STEVE, come quick!”_ Natasha hollered across the room to him, “It’s Tony, hurry!”

Steve broke out in a sudden cold sweat, the undertone of worry lacing Natasha's voice was never a good sign, she was an even greater expert than Tony at hiding her emotions, so to hear her sound so concerned filled Steve with unimaginable dread. 

Steve followed Natasha running as quick as their legs would carry them down to one of the main conference room,- Clint and Bruce were already gathered around the large Oak table looking as though they'd both ran a marathon to get there. The large screen covering a vast area of the left side wall was currently on, screen split in two with one half showing an unusually concerned looking Nick Fury, and the other half was just pitch black. 

“Fury, have you found him?! Do you know where he is?!” Steve begged in apprehension.

“Captain, we received a live transmission around 5 minutes ago with an origin undermined, considering that we have been waiting for some form of communication we immediately determined that this has to be connected with Stark”, Fury started, “I am currently streaming the live link to you, it has been streaming black since it started and we have only heard...” Nick paused- looking with concern at Steve, and then to Natasha.

Steve noticed the way Fury looked at Natasha, and how they both shared a real look of concern, “What did you hear?” Steve asked tuning to Natasha, completely impatient to know. 

Natasha swallowed deep and looked Steve dead in the eyes before speaking, “A scream Steve.... it was Tony,” she said with pain.

With out any warning, the stunned silence in the room was suddenly destroyed by a fully pained hoarse cry coming from the blank half of the screen. 

The team whipped round in shock to stare at the screen only to watch a glaring yellow colour light up what looked like an empty half of a room. Where is he... come on _where is he?!_ Steve emitted inpatients clutching the table behind him to steady himself. Another screech of pain suddenly flooded through the speakers and the tension in the room hit unbearable,- Steve could feel the blood rush to his ears and his breathing quickened in fear because- that was Tony's voice, dear God that was _Tony._ He was screaming in pain and there was nothing Steve could do to stop it!

Steve could feel the others around him, could feel the tension and concern in the room, but he was fully focused on the image of the room in front of him, the video was obviously transmitting a feed of the room Tony was being held in but why would they not show him? Where were the captors?! Steve needed something to work with, anything that may be a clue to help track where they are.

“Fury, can we track this transmission back to its location?” Steve asked trying to pull his mind together, he has to concentrate- had to think.

Fury could be seen working away on the other half of the screen, he shook his head in frustration, “Oh that's clever, the Fuckers have it scrambled- it'll take some time to even be able to make sense of it Captain before we can track it,” Nick said in frustration. “We’ll keep working on it but you guys need to see if there is any intel at all that you can gather from this, anything at all that we can work with.”

Tony cried out again and Steve could hear the crack in his voice as he did, as if he’d screamed so much that his throat and vocal cords couldn't accommodate any more strain. 

The transmission then went deathly silent as the team stood unmoving in stunned apprehension while the second ticked by. All of a sudden, the camera slowly started to pan right, and Steve drew in a harsh shaky breath at the view it brought.

Tony came to view in the centre of the screen, the first time they had seen him since he was taken- and Christ.. what had they _done to him?!_

Tony swayed on unsteady legs struggling to bear his own weight, his arms were stretched and suspended high above his head secured around the wrists preventing him from any other position than standing. He was drenched from head to toe on sweat and appeared to be really struggling for breath. It became apparent that the yellow glow in the room must have been coming from a heart source somewhere above him increasing the temperature of the room. 

Blood was slowly trickling down from his abused wrists where the cuffs must have been sharply digging into his skin. Steve could see various bruises and welts along most parts of where Tony's skin was visible and dark blood stained much of his clothing. He had some shallow and some deeper slash marks on his face and arms which looked to be the result of a very sharp weapon. He was also both gagged and deprived of his sight with a rags tied over his eyes and round his mouth. 

Tony was shaking and panting heavily with sweat freely falling from his low hung head. Steve felt a wave of crushing anguish overcome him, he had to get to Tony, a had to get him away from there- and fast. 

Without warning a darkened figure walked into view and made his way over to Tony. Steve heart gave a jolt and he was overcome with pure hatred and terror all at once. 

_“What kind of sick joke is this?!”_ Steve could hear Clint mumble in despair from somewhere to his left. The man was masked and appeared to be holding some kind of baton in one hand, and a worryingly long, sharp knife in the other.

The man then proceed to strike Tony hard on the ribs drawing out a muffled cry in surprise from him and again struck him with as much force on his left leg. Tony struggled again for balance as blood pooled along down his arms. 

The masked man then decided to forgo his first weapon and brought the knife dangerously close to the inventors exposed neck,- Steve heart beat dangerously fast in frustration and terror, please, _please for the love of God don't hurt him any more!_ The captor brought the knife up to the cloth covering Tony's eyes and sliced it off in one slick stroke.

The confusion and pain in Tony's eyes had the rest of the Avengers breathe in with shock. Tony looked dazed, his red rimmed and glazed eyes showed just how much he must have been suffering from the past days. His lips looked dry and painfully chapped as if he hasn't had a drop of water in days, Steve had heard about how Tony had survived the scorching hot desert in Afghanistan, how he was dangerously dehydrated when he was eventually found,- and to be going through this all again, it was barbaric and only increased the sense of urgency in the room for finding him. 

“Oh my Tony your not looking so good, if there’s anything I can get you, please do tell,” the captor spoke for the first time with mock concern. He walked out of view only to return with a large and full bottle of water. Tony blinked sweet from his eyes and groaned in discomfort. Tony hadn't looked to the camera once and he didn't appear to know or realise that he was being filmed let alone that the recording was being streamed to them. 

“Oh, are you thirsty? It is rather warm in here, there let me take this out of your mouth,” the man said whilst removing the rag from between Tony's abused lips. He then stepped back from Tony and proceeded to open the bottle of water bringing it up to his own lips drinking long and deep. Steve could see Tony tremble as his eyes tracked the bottle of water closely, surely they couldn't have deprived Tony of water for this long, he knew that humans could cope without food for a long time, but _water?_ \- he knew that it was a lot less time one could survive without that.

The man licked his lips greedily and grinned mockingly at Tony, “Come on now Tony, we've been through this, all you have to do is say please... Say please-and I'll let you have some water, simple as that.” 

Steve could fully imagine Tony, stubborn as always, depriving himself of the life giving water he needed by refusing to give into the mind games his captors were obviously playing. It is a well known technique for slowly bending and manipulating someone to your will, to start off with offering and providing what their prisoner needs in exchange for receiving small things in return- such as saying please, or giving unimportant information. This then creates a false sense of security and before too long, they can find themselves spilling their darkest secrets in order to get what they need and what their captors promise to give. 

Tony was now fully panting, licking his lips he shook his head and studied the water closely in front of him. The man in front of him then stretched out his arm bringing the bottle within inches of Tony and started to slowly tip the water into the floor.

The despair was all too apparent in Tony's face as Steve watched helpless to stop it.

“Just say please Tony, that's all I want, a simple word.... Say it Tony- _BEG!”_ The captor shouted causing Tony to flinch hard. 

And for the very first time since the transmission came through they heard Tony speak, and it almost shattered Steve’s composure completely.

_“Plea....please....”_ Tony whispered almost inaudible, and Steve heart practically snapped from the pain and desperation in his voice.

“Sorry what was that? I didn't quite hear you, you'll have to speak up Tony,” his captor said sweetly and Steve didn't know how much more of this he could take.

_“Please...,”_ Tony begged a little louder, - _“Please...,”_

“There now, not so difficult was it,” his captor cooed and brought the bottle up to his lips. Tony drank desperately and whimpered the second the water touched his lips. 

Once the bottle was drained and without any warning at all Tony was abruptly released from his restraint- the rope tethering his arms above him slackened and he slammed into the ground with a horrific smack.

Hands still bound together he could do little to soften his fall and yelped as he hit the ground.

The rest of the Avengers watched in stunned silence as the screen abruptly shut off and the side of the screen which had been showing Tony was plunged into darkness and silence.

“NO!! _NO,_ what happened- where did it go?!” Steve demanded at Fury over on the other half of the screen.

“They've cut the transmission off from their end, we won't get a visual back unless they send one again,” Fury stated.

For more than a minute not one of the Avengers in the room could speak a word for disbelief of what they'd been made to witness, Steve felt as someone placed a gentle hand on his arm and he jumped slightly not realising how far his mind had slipped into shock and despair. He looked beside him only to be met with the kind and worried eyes of Natasha.

“We’ll get him back Steve,” she said in determination, voice full of compassion, “He's strong, he can make it through this, we will find him.”

And Steve knows how strong a person Tony is, but what he was being put through- what he is being put through made Steve feel physically sick. He looked around at the others in the room, Clint looked furious and fidgeted with pent up anger and Bruce looked green around the gills, _literally!_

Again, Fury assured the team that S.H.I.E.L.D would do everything in their power to locate Tony and said he would contact them immediately if there was any news or if another transmission was sent,- and with that Fury was gone and the screen plunged into full darkness.

Two more days passed with no contact from the captors and no advances in S.H.I.E.L.D’s efforts to locate them, and with little else to do, Steve was slowly losing his mind. That was until the end of the second day after that first transmission was sent that his phone buzzed in his pocket- and answering it to the voice of Natasha Steve was once again bracing himself for the worst-

“Steve, they’re transmitting again- we need you in the conference room fast,” she begged and Steve could feel his composure breaking piece by piece as he ran full pelt from his room.


	7. Chapter 7

TONY:

 

The hours slipped by, painfully slow as all Tony could do was pull himself lethargically up against the wall and wait for whatever was to come next. All his muscles screamed at him in pain, the sudden change of position from standing to sprawling on the floor had his arms and legs cramping in unison. 

Mercifully, the radiating heart from above was switched off- and within minutes of his captor leaving the room, one of the other men brought in a tray of food, and another beautifully full looking bottle of water. Tony eyed the man place it within arms reach of him before he too retreated from the room- door depressingly locking behind him. 

Tony wasn’t stupid, he knew he should be extremely cautious of anything these people were giving him, but Jesus Christ he was still so damn thirsty- and having had no food for over three days now the pros of consuming what was in front of him were starting to fully out weigh the cons. 

In knowing he needed to keep his strength up as much as possible to give both himself and the other Avengers time to get him away from this place he made the decision to go for it, and gently pulling the tray towards himself he cautiously examined the food. It didn't look of smell suspicious so with lack of a better choice, he consumed the food and water with all the gusto of a half starved man. 

His bound wrists made it more awkward than difficult to eat, but with every slight movement the metal scraped and dug at the raw and still bleeding wounds about his wrists. Mercifully, the cuts and slashes he'd obtained weren’t too deep, and though they were saw- they'd thankfully stopped bleeding as much. 

Tony notice again the camera that was set to the side and out of reach,- the red light glaring at him made him feel horribly self conscious. He was so sure that it would be used to make a ransom video, just like his captors had done in Afghanistan, however he had no idea if it had been used yet or not, if he knew when it was filming then surely he could try to send a message somehow- anything that may help his friends to find him. It just seemed that he would have to wait and use it to his advantage when the time comes, if the time comes.....

He felt terribly weak and all of a sudden the need to sleep became all encompassing. The ground he was on was pretty disgusting and with the room smelling no better it didn't make for a pleasant place to kip. Again he knew he really shouldn’t sleep, he should stay awake- keep aware so not to miss any opportunity for escape, but his eyelids decided to betray sense and Tony could do little to stop the them from closing as he fell into an uninvited deep sleep. 

\------------------------- 

Crawling, things were crawling all over him, was it bugs,- ants?! Tiny little ants, no wait- they were metal, little metal ants... And they were biting, God damn it they were biting him all over and it _hurt!_

They were pulling him, pulling and pulling at his arms and how was this possible?! They had him tied and he couldn't move, he was stuck with no way out.

“Steve?! _Steve!”_ Tony cried, where was he?! He had been there with him fighting them off, he was sure of it! Looking around desperately he noticed Steve's shield laying not to far from him, but where was Steve?! Had he left Tony to his fate, had he been taken? And no, no he couldn't lose Steve, not now- _not like this,_ not when he was regretting so much that had happened between them.... and so much that hadn’t....

All of a sudden a ripple of agony coursed through his entire back and Tony was ripped with force from his brutal dream.....

 

“Finally, decided to join us again have you sleeping beauty?” and for a moment, Tony couldn’t place the voice, couldn’t recall where he was... Then he heard the unmistakable crack of a whip just a millisecond before he felt it connect with the skin of his back.

The unexpected shock and pain had him lurching forward with a cry. What the hell?! The last thing Tony could remember was resting on the ground eating the food and drink they had brought in for him, and then .... Oh, the unnatural speed in which he’d become heavy eyed and sleepy, ... so, he’d been drugged, again.

Once again the whip was brought down on his back and Tony bit his lip hard so not to scream, he could at least try to hold it together, try to stay strong as long as possible. He knew he could take a beating- he has had good training for dealing with situations such as this, especially after Afghanistan, but everyone has their limits, Tony just hoped the other Avengers get to him before he reaches his.

Whilst Tony was clearly out from being drugged, his captors had managed to hall him up and he was once again suspended by the arms and forced to stand on unsteady legs. 

“Make sure you smile for the camera Tony, your audience is going to enjoy their next instalment,” his captor said whilst bringing down the whip a final time on Tony’s already abused and bleeding back.

Tony couldn’t contain the yelp of the sting that it caused, but before he could speak, his mouth was once again bound with a rag, and he was left tied and standing alone in the middle of the room as his captor left. 

Breathing through the pain Tony held back unbidden tears, he looked around the room, to try and prepare himself for what was to come. He noticed that both the table and camera were gone from the room, however he noticed a smaller camera mounted high on the wall opposite him, red light blinking as if mocking him. 

His captor said he had an _audience?_ That must mean that throughout this ordeal someone else must have seen, maybe the Avengers had been contacted and perhaps they know why he was taken and what it is that the captors wish to gain from this. 

Blood slowly trickled it’s way down Tony’s back and he winced in discomfort with every movement he made. 

The deafening silence in the room was only broken by the sounds of Tony’s laboured breathing, that was until he heard the sound of water. He looked over to the grated vent above the locked door and at first there was a trickle of water slowly seeping through it, which increasingly turned into a steady gushing flow ...


	8. Chapter 8

STEVE:

_“Steve, they’re transmitting again- we need you in the conference room fast,” Natasha begged and Steve could feel his composure breaking piece by piece as he ran full pelt from his room._

Days without contact, without seeing Tony had taken their toll on Steve, he was constantly agitated, constantly on edge and uncharacteristically snappy. He knew the others were just as worried, just as concerned and desperate to bring Tony home, but Steve just couldn't pull himself together- couldn’t bring himself to even attempt to reassure them most of the time as he knew a good leader should, and he knew it was selfish, but he truly couldn’t help it- not after having seen what Tony was going through. And when Natasha had called telling him that they were again to witness their fellow avenger, their friend- their _Tony_ being tortured, well he just wanted to burst from despair. 

He entered the conference room at full speed and once again the rest of the team were there, and again the screen displayed Fury on one side, and Tony on the other.

“Oh dear God no....,” Steve was staring wide eyed and in utter dismay at what he could see. Tony was again bound by the wrists with his arms suspended and secured above his head, he appeared more alert this time, but it was horrifically obvious that the main reason for Tony's sharpness was because his whole body was physically reeling against the steadily rising level of water around his waist.

“Fury, we need a track on this signal!” Steve demanded with no restraint, he subconsciously took a step toward the screen, he so desperately wanted to do something- anything, he would switch places with him in a heart beat if it were only possible- _anything_ to erase that look of horror on Tony's face.

“We’re working on it Captain,” Fury’s stressed voice sounded from the speakers. Steve could see that Tony was in deep distress, he was panting- struggling to take in the oxygen his body needed in panic mode as he struggled to no avail against his bonds. Steve watched as the level of water slowly crept upwards that Tony began to become more frantic, and when the water reached to just above his shoulders tears began freely flowing from his eyes.

“Jesus _Christ, Fuck,_ FURY we need his location _NOW!”_ Clint hollered across the room, but Steve was too incapacitated to add to the sudden flurry of sound in the conference room as Bruce let out a groan which sounded more like it came from the Hulk and Natasha let out a long string of what he imagined was some very strong colourful words in Russian. 

No, no this can't be, this can't be it, it just didn't seem real, it couldn't be happening! He was going to lose him before he even had the chance to _have_ him! 

The water level now reached Tony's chin and the inventor was straining to keep his head as high up as possible, - his eyes then suddenly darted up to look straight at the camera and stilled, like he knew, like he knew he was being watched – and he looked petrified yet all of a sudden as if in acceptance. Then without warning the screen went black and Steve’s composure shattered, he bellowed in pure dismay and hurled his phone into the adjacent wall distantly watching as it shattered into a thousand pieces, _how ironic-_ he thought. 

“Keep us updated Fury,” Natasha spoke taking lead when it was obvious Steve wouldn't, couldn't- at that moment, and the whole screen was once again plunged into darkness.

Bruce left the room swiftly stating that he needed some air, and Clint too left promptly not saying anything verbally, but Steve could see he was physically taut as a bowstring. 

Steve couldn’t seem to move, his mind just kept playing and replaying what they’d just seen, was Tony even still alive?!

He thought back to the last conversation he’d had with Tony and God it filled him with self loathing, he’d literally told Tony he didn't trust him, but that's so completely far from the truth and it made him feel sick to the stomach. He can't let that be the last thing he says to Tony, he can't let him die thinking he doesn’t trust him, doesn’t respect him,- doesn’t love him.

“Oh God Nat...,” Steve whispered as he leaned heavy on the table behind him covering his face with his hands in a vain attempt at block out the cruel world behind them. 

Kind hands were gently placed on top his shoulders and with great effort he lifted his head to be met with the sorrowful but strong eyes of Natasha. 

“We don't know that he isn't alright, chances are they cut the feed because they also stopped the water, it would make no sense to kill him now, they would have nothing then- nothing to bargain with for what they want,” and even as clearly logical as they sounded, Steve still found it hard to take any comfort from at all,- they didn't even _know_ what the captors wanted, all they'd done so far was torture Tony without a single reason why.

“You really love him, don't you...?” and it was said so softly, so out of the blue and so much as if it was a statement rather than a question that all Steve could do was look into her eyes as his filled with painful unshed tears and let out a shuddering breath.

“I’ve seen the way you look at him Steve, the way you are with him- when you’re around him,” she gently shook her head and held him strongly, as if to help in grounding him as his breathing came out uneven and ragged, “We’ll find him, we have to,- and then we'll bring him home and you'll tell him Steve, because he loves you too.”

Steve couldn't make sense of what he’d just heard, it couldn't be possible... No, no she must have been mistaken, she must have it wrong... And as if sensing his doubt, or just plain seeing it on his face she almost lit up in a compassionate and sorrowful smile.

“He looks at you in the same way Steve, I've seen it- plain as day, I've been praying that you’d both realise of your own accord, but you pair of idiots are obviously too blind to see it. He loves you, and he needs you to stay strong, to keep going whilst we find a way to bring him home,” and damn does _anything_ get past this woman?!

If what she says is true, then they both of them may have missed their only chance to have been together, to have been truly happy..... No,  
_no_ he can't think like that, she was right, he had to keep strong, had to keep going because when the time comes, when they finally get a lock on Tony's location, he’s going to need Steve to be at one hundred percent in order to help him, to bring him home.

A new wave of determination suddenly flooded his system and he met Natasha's eyes with more strength than he'd felt in days, and again she smiled with warmth before making her way out of the conference room leaving Steve to his thoughts.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so things are going to get a lot worse before they get better..... But I do promise a happy ending..... eventually :)

TONY:

Hope... the most addictive and powerful force can be a cruel mistress, it’s that feeling of hope, even the slightest and most unlikely chances of it that can keep you sane, keep you going, but it can also keep you from the truth and keep you from accepting the inevitable. The second the rising water reached Tony’s chin was the second he accepted his inevitable, this was it, this was how he was going to die.

Acceptance is the most peculiar of feelings, time suddenly slowed and a strange sense of calmness overpowered the fear and pain that previously had hold of him.

They say that in the moments before death your life flashes before your eyes, but Tony’s mind suddenly made him think of Steve, of the time’s they'd spent together, the moments they've laughed and the moments he’ll cherish... he loves Steve with all his heart and soul, and the fear of rejection held him back, prevented him from telling Steve how he truly feels, now he will never get the chance to tell him and that _hurt._

And with that thought he suddenly remembered his captor saying that he would have an 'audience', that someone would be watching, and Tony couldn’t be sure, but he just had the gut feeling that it was his friends, his team that would be said audience. And although he couldn’t see them through looking at the camera- couldn’t actually see Steve, but if they were on the other end, if they were watching- he suddenly didn’t feel so alone, didn’t feel so scared. 

Not wishing to see the water rise any more Tony painfully pulled his gaze from the camera, closed his eyes and waited.  
.  
.  
.  
Stopped, it’s stopped... it can’t have...? The water had reached the line of his mouth, then stopped. He stood there, submerged and paralyzed in fear with no control of his fate, no control over how he was messed with, how they tortured and manipulated him and he felt so powerless, so lost.

The water began to retreat and inch by inch, the it was replaced by blessedly breathable air. Tony was so exhausted by this emotional rollercoaster that he felt light-headed and the shock to his system had his knees give out under him. The temporary relief to his aching legs was only to be overshadowed by the searing pain of his wrists taking his full weight and his cuts re-opening underneath his bonds. 

 

Tony stood, freezing cold and completely soaked- his breathing shuddered and uneven as he struggled to remain calm. That stunt with the water had really rattled him and the frustration of his situation suddenly pissed him off to no end.

“Where the _FUCK_ ARE YOU THEN _HUH?!_ What is it that you _want_ from me asshole?! Why am I even _here_ if all your gunna do is torture the shit out of me, _what's the whole point?! HEY DICKHEAD- I'M TALKING TO YOU!!..._

Tony hollered with his composure snapping, and before he could even continue to vent his anger, his captor burst in through the door and marched straight up to Tony until he was practically nose to nose with him. His face portrayed nothing but pure hate and disgust as he swiftly backhand Tony across the face cracking it viciously to the side.

Tony sucked in a sharp breath as he tasted the metallic tang of blood fill his mouth only for his captor to do the same again, only twice as hard, and continued to hit Tony with no restraint, and no compassion. 

Once Tony was at the point where we was sure he would pass out, the beating stopped. He looked up through unshed tears into unfeeling eyes.

_“Holy fuck, WHY?!”_ Tony yelled panting loud and stained. The deafening silence that followed rang through the room made him feel horribly exposed and helpless. 

Within the blink of an eye – his captor lunged and brutally gripped Tony's face in an unbreakable vice like grip as he bared his teeth in apparent anger.

“Why?! _Why?!!_ You _really_ want to know huh!?” his captor spat, “because you and your Avengers have made my life a living misery, too many of my plans ruined by you so called heroes, - too many times I have _LOST,_ -my efforts wasted because you heroes think you know better, think you _are_ better than everyone else. Well not me, not this time, you've made your bed, now you're gunna _bleed in it!..._ Your Captain is clearly the driving force of the Avengers, he holds your group together and he’s damn good at it... too good. But I'm going to shatter him and end the Avengers once and for all, I'm going to destroy your Captain by breaking the thing he loves most, I'll make him watch as you suffer, as you slowly fall apart, as you beg and plead for mercy... I'll make him see the second you snap and he fails to save you, I'll make him watch helpless to stop me, I'll break his heart by crushing _yours!”_

The heavy thumping of his heart was the only thing he could feel as a wave of disbelief flooded over his body, what the _hell_ had his captor said?! Tony let out an involuntary laugh of utter bemusement at this.

“I'm sorry buddy but seriously- you've got the wrong guy, Steve and I are friends so sorry to disappoint but no matter what you do to me, he’ll keep on going- and so will the Avengers,” Tony spoke with certainty, though it left him feeling hollow to voice how Steve would only ever see him as a friend.

“Oh wow, and they say you're genius?! Well let me tell you this, _clever man,_ Steve Rogers loves you, he loves you and there's no hiding it, no denying it, it’s written all over his face, his body language- his actions, and believe me I've had my best team researching into this, and I've seen it first hand- with my very own eyes that day you you fell after my robot creation knocked you from the sky after you  
_destroyed_ it, the Captain was the first at your side, battle forgotten the _second_ your pretty little head collided with the ground..... Well, I needed to take from him the one thing he loves most in order to break him... And that meant taking you. And once you're no longer the man he once knew, once I've tuned you into just a shadow of yourself... I'll make him watch you die,... See if Captain America can live with _that.”_

Tony's heart rang in his ears as his whole body began to shake, it wasn't possible, no... It couldn't be true, he couldn't be right, Steve didn't-  
_couldn’t_ be in love with him... _Could he?!_ Tony would know, surely he would have noticed something to indicate it?! No,  
_no_ \- this was just his captor messing with his head, another attempt to break him, to grind him down to fuck with his mind...

Whilst all his confusion and thoughts jumbled without control in his head- Tony nearly missed the moment his captor retreated from the room calling for someone to 'put him out’, and with little he could do but squirm and swear- he was jabbed in the neck with a needle full of fuck knows what and sent face first hurtling to the ground as his straining arms were released from above his head.

Now laying on the ground once again, Tony took the opportunity to curl up as small as possible in a subconscious effort to disappear all together. The drugs he was just pumped full of appeared to take effect and be began to feel light and dizzy. Tears suddenly came unbid to his eyes as he lay there wishing he was home, wishing with all his heart to be far away from this place, safe at home, safe with Steve... 

Once the first sob wracked through his body he couldn't hold back, and Tony found himself uncontrollably heaving sobs of pain and grief as a wave of depression came crushing down. 

.

.

 

It could have been minutes, it could have been hours- Tony couldn't tell as he drifted in and out of consciousness but he could have sworn he’d heard gun fire coming from somewhere... Somewhere outside of this hell hole of a room. No... no he must be imagining things.

He shifted in an attempt to relieve some pressure from his aching side but his still bound hands made even that quite a challenge, even though he was no longer forced to stand, the rope tethering him from above still wouldn't allow him to move far and he was restricted to the miniscule length it would give and the drugs still in his system made everything he did slow and clumsy.

Then he heard it again... gun fire, yes... straining his ears to the door he could definitely hear the sound of shooting- oh God please let this be it, _please_ say they're finally found him!

He really shouldn't have but he couldn't help it when he suddenly felt a burst of hope- and sitting in as upright a position as his abused body would allow, he forced his foggy mind to concentrate.

There was a definite commotion going on out there, he was certain of it now, he could hear gun fire, shouting... It was getting gradually closer....

_“...ony....Tony?!...._ TONY?!!” 

And blessed heavens above, that was _Steve!_ Tony could hear the muffled calling of his own name from somewhere off behind the door, and it was _Steve- he’d finally found him!_

“STEVE?!!!.. _STEVE,_ oh thank God- STEVE!! _I'm in here, -Steve get me out!”_ Tony cried as loud as his burning lungs could manage. 

The banging and muffled sound of fighting was steadily getting closer to the room he was in and Tony felt a sudden rush of adrenaline, if Steve was out there, then so must the Avengers be, they'd found him and he can _finally_ get out of this place!

Tony tried to get to his feet, he struggled through the biting pain coursing through his body and used the rope securing him from above and holding back a cry, he pulled himself into an almost standing position; he still felt ridiculously weak and still slightly spaced out from the drugs, lack of food and the brutal treatment he'd endured, but this was it, this was the moment he’d been waiting,- _hoping_ for, he was going _home-_ and he needed to be ready- he didn't know what the situation was outside of this room and he may need to run... may need to fight- even in his condition he'd give it his best damn shot if it meant freedom, he needed to be ready for anything.

The fighting sounded as if it had gotten closer, but then it suddenly stopped... Silence...

 

“.... STEVE?! STEVE THE DOOR IS LOCKED FROM THE OUTSIDE... STEVE CAN YOU GET IT OPEN? I CAN'T GET TO YOU FROM HERE- I'M TIED UP!... _STEVE?..... STEVE!!!”_ Tony yelled to the sudden silence on the other side of the door, surely that meant they'd dealt with his captors and were going to come through that door any second now.....

Tony's heart was thumping in his throat, his blood pressure must be dangerously high with the speed of which he was panting. Seconds passed without any reply, minutes...where were they?! Suddenly, the door was unlocked and was swung open with an echoing bang.

“.......no,.... _no-_ NO!!!! LET HIM GO- _LET HIM GO!!”_ Tony shrieked and yanked with renewed strength at his bonds,- they had him.. they had Steve! 

His captor trudged in, sporting many fresh and bleeding wounds and was half steering, half dragging Captain America by the scruff of his uniform.

His captor smiled at Tony's sudden distress, the blood coating his teeth and dripping down his face made him appear more mad and vicious than ever. He'd obviously gagged and bound Steve before he’d apparently placed a dark hood over his face as all Tony could hear from him was a muffled sound. Steve’s uniform was battered and bloody and Tony could see various cuts and bruised under the damaged suit.

“Well, I can't deny that your Captain is a good fighter,” his captor stated breathlessly, “but he’s obviously not good enough, at least not good enough after we shoot him full with our special tranq darts. So predictable isn't he?! Mr Captain America, how obvious it was that he would come to _save_ you... Shame he’s failed, bet that must sting.”

Tony could not make his brain kick into gear, he was frozen in shock, this wasn’t happening, this _couldn't_ be happening!!!

Tony stood still on shaky legs, eyes staring in unbelieving silence, they had him.... Steve was pushed to his knees and the second he struggled in the captors grip- he was instantly jabbed in the neck with another syringe of what he assumed he had already been pumped full of already.

“STEVE! Steve can you hear me?! Steve come on we can do this- we gotta get out of here!!” Tony called only to see Steve feebly struggle where he knelt. Tony couldn't see his face with the hood covering it, but could just about hear his ragged harsh breathing. 

“Beautiful results from these tranquillisers, don't you think Tony? We've been working on it for a very, _very_ long time now- a special gift for you and your team, the rest of them, well- they only took one dart to take them down, even Banner was out cold before we could say HULK! But your boy here, oh your boy is special isn't he, hasn’t succumbed to the drugs yet and I've lost count of how many times we stuck him,” his captor spoke with pure smugness, “shame to waste such special blood, but now that I've got him... I'm not letting him go..”

Tony sucked in a crying breath as he watched his captor draw out a dangerously long, sharp knife and place the tip of it to the base of Steve's neck.

“STOP! PLEASE, _PLEASE!_ Let him go, please- I'm begging you, don't hurt him, you have me- you don't need him...” Tony begged with no other option but to pray that he could somehow appeal to his captors mercy, Steve was the most important person in his  
_life,_ the one person he truly loves- and he'll damn we'll save him, even if it's the last thing he does- even at the cost of his own life. 

“Let him go, _please!”_ Tony pleaded, tears threatening to spill. 

He watched as his captor cocked his head to the side, looking at Tony as if observing an unusual animal in a zoo pen, his team were out, he was tied up and could barely stand, and Steve was pretty much knocked out, so all Tony could do was plead with his captor... And wait...

“You know, that was very touching, Tony honestly, I didn't expect _that,_ so here's the deal, I'll give you just enough time to say your last words to him, and that's just about all I can manage... alright?” his captor said, right before sinking the blade to the hilt into Steve's side.

“NO!!!!!!! _NO,,,_ GOD STEVE _NO!!!!!!”_

Tony surged forward with almost inhuman strength as he desperately tried in vain to break free of is restraints and reach the now forward slumping man in front of him. He twisted and yanked with everything he had left- screaming as he failed to pull himself free. 

“Speak to him Tony, and be quick about it, that wound will bleed out soon enough...” his captor called calmly right before shoving Steve sideways onto the ground and walking out of the room locking the door behind him.

Tony froze, he stood in paralyzed shock, looking down at himself he noticed blood was slowly trailing it’s way down his hands and dripping onto the ground beneath him where he’d pulled impossible hard at the restraints, but he felt no pain. 

He looked up, and his heart leapt into his throat. “Steve, _Steve_ come on- come on you have to get up, Steve you _have_ to move, come on buddy _please_ \- Steve come on you can do this....” Tony begged at the man laying on his side. He could hear Steve breathing heavily, could see the deep rise and fall of his chest as he sucked in oxygen from underneath the hood. 

Tony's eyes trailed down his uniform to where his captor had stabbed him, _a fatal blow, if untreated-_ he thought distantly as he watched a pool of crimson blood steadily forming and spreading onto the ground with speed. Steve didn't, _couldn't_ move, he couldn't even apply pressure to the wound since his hands were tied behind him, and Tony felt so damn useless ... And utterly _helpless._

“Steve, _please-_ please try _please- SOMEONE HELP!!! SOMEONE PLEASE, HE’S BLEEDING OUT HE NEEDS HELP!!!!”_ Tony shouted to anyone that might listen, but the only reply he got, was silence.

Steve shuddered and groaned as he gently shivered on his side, letting out a gentle muffled cry of obvious distress. Tony looked, he looked and he saw the precious life literally flowing from the man in front of him and his eyes filled with tears.

“Steve, Steve no, come on Steve stay with me, baby _please-_ please don't leave me, Steve I'm sorry, I’m so _so_ sorry, it’s my fault...it’s all my fault...” Tony whispered in anguish. Steve let out a feeble cough as he shook his head from under the hood and Tony finally sobbed.

“Steve, _please don't leave me,_ it’s not worth it without you, I'm nothing without you,..... I _love_ you... Steve I love you so much it _hurts_ ..... please, _don’t go.....”_ Tony begged as his legs finally gave out underneath him and he fell crashing to his knees. Steve was there, _right there in front of him-_ and Tony could do nothing but watch as he faded...

Steve's breathing slowed and his heaving gasps evening out, and the blood didn't stop following as he suddenly stilled and the rise and fall of his chest almost stopped. 

“No..... _God no,_ Steve it’s ok baby, it’s ok, just listen to my voice Steve, you’re not alone, I'm here Steve- I'm with you,.... _I'll always be there for you.....”_ Tony choked as his tears finally feel,..... and Steve stopped breathing...

“....... _Steve?_ .....” Tony whispered, _........no......_ He shook his head in disbelief, no- he couldn't be gone, it’s not _possible!_ Before he even realised- Tony was heaving in panicked and racking sobs to the point of almost hyperventilating. He screamed for Steve at the top of his lungs as tears freely feel, but Steve didn't move. His captor had won, he'd taken the most precious thing on this earth from Tony, he’d destroyed Steve,- he’d destroyed Tony and he didn't know how he could keep going after this. 

Tony’s cries died down when he finally hit the point where he felt he was about to pass out, he still felt fuzzy and light headed but he didn't know if that was from his shock, the drugs or both. He turned his wet red eyes to Steve and he suddenly felt numb. He was cold and shaking uncontrollably, but didn't care, he was just too numb. 

Steve hadn't, _wouldn't_ move and Tony's mind practically shut down in shock. Dead, he was dead, he was gone... Tony had failed....

He suddenly found himself curling up into a fetal position as he sobbed and whispered and begged for forgiveness for failing to stop this, saying he was sorry over and over and over- as if he said it enough it would bring him back, eyes locked on Steve’s unresponsive and horribly still form as his tears fell uncontrollably.


	10. Chapter 10

STEVE:

After the feed showing Tony being submerged in the water had gone dark, there was no contact from the captors till the following night, a whole 26 hours of not knowing, only hoping that he’d survived till they decided to send the next transmission. 

S.H.I.E.L.D had been working round the clock in an attempt to locate and track the apparently very scrambled signal back to its location, apparently they were close, _just a little more time,_ they said, and they'd have a location for the Avengers to descend on. 

But once again, time was their worst enemy and Steve just felt like it was running out when for a third time- Fury patched through to the Avengers tower the next transmission sent from the kidnappers. 

“Uh, thank _God...!”_ Steve let out an audible sound of relief when the video transmission showed Tony, he was still tied up, still in the same room- but he was _alive!_ Too often in the last 26 hours had Steve's brain unhelpfully supplied images of Tony fully submerged in that water, drowning and with no hope of escape,- but it hadn’t happened! 

Tony looked pretty worse for wear though, he was no longer standing – but half curled in on himself on the ground, he looked half unconscious but there were definite signs of life. From the angle of the high up camera this freed was coming from Steve could see that Tony visibly shaking and could almost hear his harsh and uneven breathing. 

“We’re very close to tracking this signal now,” Fury said from the screen with confidence, “We've narrowed the location down further with each transmission, hopefully this one will give us a lock.”

Natasha stood a strong presence at his side, she was already battle mode ready from what Steve could see, her stance had shifted and he could see her guns holstered and prepared. Clint looked a lot less calm on the outside than Natasha, he radiated pure agitation as Steve was sure he was as desperate as he was to get his hands round the neck of Tony’s captors. And Bruce stood a little back from everyone else, he was in much better control of the Hulk at this point, but this was an extenuating circumstance, and the Hulk is very fond of his friend Tony, Bruce couldn't guarantee that there wouldn't be a huge Hulk out if something upset the other guy. 

Suddenly, on the screen Tony could be seen to shift and slightly lift his head – as if listening to something coming from outside the room.

_‘ “...ony....Tony?!...._ TONY?!!” '

And the second they heard it through the speaker, Steve’s heart gave a lurch in full terror for Tony,- he heard his voice, _his very own voice_ calling to Tony from on the screen!

“Oh my God,,, how are they doing that?! No! No God Tony- that’s not me- _it’s not me!!!”_ Steve screamed at the screen, unable to hold back his panic. 

‘ “STEVE?!!!.. _STEVE,_ oh thank God- STEVE!! _I'm in here, -Steve get me out!” '_ Tony had suddenly screamed in obvious relief on the screen, and God have mercy- Steve’s heart couldn't take this any more.

It was only when Tony cried his reply – thinking that it really was Steve calling to him that Natasha suddenly gripped his hand and held on tight. She looked him straight in the eyes and she looked terrifyingly concerned, a look of which he had rarely seen on her,- and it scared him to no end.

“Why Nat, _why are they doing this?!_ That was _my voice-_ how did they even manage that?! If I wasn’t standing right here even _I_ would have thought that was me!” Steve hollered in exasperation.

Natasha shook her head and spoke in quiet anger, “It’s a recording, and a damn good one, I just hope they're not going where I think they’re going with this...” Natasha replied but before Steve could even ask what she meant- their attention was drawn back to the screen.

God, Tony was calling for him, he was calling Steve’s name like it was the answer to all his prayers and Steve’s heart shattered from how his captors were using Steve to torture Tony. 

“Man he looks so unsteady, do you think they've given him something?” Clint said worriedly from behind them. 

Steve looked closer and Tony was definitely sweating, he was shaking and was incredibly unsteady on his feet where he'd just pulled himself into a standing position. “He's definitely been given something, that can't be helping with distinguishing reality from their lies.” He heard Natasha say by his side.

“OH GOD NAT, OH GOD NO!!!” Steve couldn't hold in the utter panic when Tony’s captor dragged someone into the room, he was dressed in an uncanny replica of his Captain America suit, was practically the same height and build as Steve and with his whole head covered with a hood, well it was no surprise that with the state Tony was in that he thought it was Steve. 

Steve stood, unable to move or speak for the shock of it, Tony thought it was him, he was begging his captor to let Steve go, _begging_ \- and that practically ripped Steve’s heart in two. The captor was making him think he’d subdued Steve and captured the rest of the team, he'd even gone as far as to cover himself in fake blood and injuries to fool Tony into thinking he’d actually battled with them!! Steve watched as Tony's distress and panic escalated as he pleaded for his captor to let Steve go.

Steve knew this was bad, they could do anything with this fake Steve and Tony would have no idea it wasn't him,- then he heard the captor's reply to Tony's begging and God he hoped in vain that the man would take pity, have mercy- anything! 

Then, Steve's world was turned upside down as the captor sunk his knife in a fatal blow to the side of the fake Steve on the screen, and Tony's screams of pure anguish flooded the room like fire.

Tony was struggling anew against his restraints, clearly hurting himself in an attempt to get to the fake Steve who was now bleeding out rapidly.

‘ “Speak to him Tony, and be quick about it, that wound will bleed out soon enough...” ' the captor spoke on the screen before walking out of view leaving Tony and fake Steve alone. 

Steve watched as Tony begged him to move, begged him to try and pleaded with him to live,- he screamed for help and the utter hysteria in his voice, the pure pain and distress he was showing for Steve had his heart beating dangerously fast,- his eyes filled with tears which freely flowed down his face as Tony began to softly comfort the dying man in front of him, telling him he was there and telling him he was  
_sorry?!_ God what on _earth_ had Tony to be _sorry about?!_

‘ “Steve, _please don't leave me,_ it’s not worth it without you, I'm nothing without you,..... I _love_ you... Steve I love you so much it _hurts_ ..... please, _don’t go.....” '_

“oh god no....” Steve hadn't even realised that his knees had buckled, hadn't realised that he'd planted himself on the floor, heaving in gasps of air that never seemed to quench his need for oxygen, hadn't realised Natasha was holding him, taking softly to him, didn't realise that he was crying so freely- it all seemed like an out of body experience, something that wasn't really happening, not to him- or to Tony.

Steve’s whole body jumped when suddenly he heard his name called in the most painful of cries,- looking up again through worn out eyes to the screen he loudly released another sorrowful sob, the Steve on the screen was now clearly dead, and Tony’s cries were more than he could bear, those cries would stay with him for the rest of his life.

.....Tony had said he loved him, he said he _loves Steve_ and he believes he's just watched him die, powerless to help, powerless to stop it. This was wrong, this was so horribly, _horribly wrong!_

Tony cried as he curled up on himself and that was the moment the transmission was cut.

 

 

Steve couldn’t move, he couldn’t breathe – couldn’t comprehend what he’d just seen, how was Tony ever to move on from this, how was he going to cope?!

Steve Felt like he was going to be sick, but he sucked in fast and deep breaths and was vaguely aware of Natasha rubbing soothing circles on his back as he came round from the full on shock. 

“CAPTAIN! _CAPTAIN! We have a lock, we've got his location-_ South West of your current location, around a six hour flight, sending the coordinates to you now......” Fury spoke in haste, trying at speed on the laptop he was transmitting from,- and the coordinates came flashing up in view of the Avengers,,, they found him.... God THEY’D _FOUND HIM!_

“ Steve, we need to prep- full battle gear, med kits, comms – the lot, they obviously don’t expect us to actually find them any time soon since they went to so much trouble in covering their transmission signal so hopefully we’ll have the element of surprise, but we have to be ready,” Natasha said with confidence, the strength in her voice transferring to Steve as he shook his head and pulled himself up off the floor. 

They had the coordinates, they had their jet- now they just had to go get their genius back.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter as promised :) sorry it's a little short, but hopefully the next few will make up for that! 
> 
> Thank you very much for all the kudos and the lovely comments I've received, I can't stop smiling!!!!! <3

STEVE:

The Avengers were battle ready and had their gear all set and bundled into the jet in less than an hour, and in adding that onto the six hours flight – they should reach Tony within the next seven hours, all going to plan.

The flight was absolute torture for Steve, each second he spent worrying and pacing was another second Tony was suffering; he couldn’t stop replaying in his head what Tony had said, _' “I love you, Steve I love you so much it hurts......” '_ Steve’s head suddenly ached as he felt a wash of guilt and misery come over him and he sat himself down in an empty seat at the back of the jet. 

He looked over his team occupying the rest of the jet, Clint was busying himself with flying, Bruce was checking over their medical equipment,- he’d said it’d be best to prepare for any eventuality since they didn’t know what may happen to them or Tony in the next few hours.

Natasha was sat quietly at the other end of the jet, unsurprisingly watching Steve but showing little of what she thought on her face. Steve didn’t even bother to hide his worry and stress from her this time, she was an expert at reading body language so she could probably read through any of his bullshit at any rate. 

Once he’d sat down she calmly strolled over to him, gently taking the seat to his left and breathed out and audible sigh.

“Talk to me Steve,” she said shaking her head and placing his hands into hers, and how does she do that?! Somehow she has such a calming effect and Steve couldn’t help but smile just a little at knowing how lucky he was to not only work with such a formidable woman, but to have her as his friend. 

“How could I not have known Nat? How could I have been so blind when so many others could see it?! You knew, all along you knew he had feelings for me, that he.... that....” Steve struggled to even say the words, did he even have the right to after this?! He felt so much that he’d somehow failed Tony, that if they hadn’t had that stupid argument all those days ago that Tony wouldn’t have left the tower, wouldn’t have gone out unprotected – this was Steve’s fault, it was his fault and he didn’t deserve Tony’s love....

“Love is a complicated thing Steve, it can turn the best of us crazy, make us blind, make us do and say things we wouldn’t even think we were capable of. But what I’ve seen, what I saw....what Tony _said,_ he loves you Steve, and you love him, it’s the only truth that matters, and it’s not too late. We’ll get him back and we’ll guide him to recovery,- we can do this Steve, we’re his family – and we’ll help him through this.”

.  
.  
.

Their location was an abandoned warehouse in an apparently disused industrial park. Placing the jet into stealth mode they hovered right above their target location.

The strategy was simple, they’d look to sneak in, quietly and undetected- retrieve Tony and get the hell out of there as quickly as possible, though Steve was hoping to crack a rib or two of the captors if he got the chance. But since they believed that they had the element of surprise, and with the captors then hopefully being unprepared, it made sense to go in and get out as quickly and silently as possible to help minimise the chances of an outright fight and someone getting injured.

Because of this , Bruce was to wait on the jet and keep it out of sight until they were ready to depart- they didn’t want the Hulk to go crashing in and giving away their position. Clint was to enter the building via the vents from the roof, Natasha from the buildings rear entrance and Steve from the front. There didn’t appear to be any patrols probably since it was horribly cold outside so entering the building shouldn’t be too much of a problem. They were then to work through the building in search of Tony and to alert the others if they found the room he was being kept in. 

Bruce gave them the all clear and the three Avengers leapt from the jet down to the building.

Steve made his was swiftly to one of the doors at the front of the building, it was dark so he was sure that the shadows concealed him pretty well. He wasn't surprised when the door wouldn’t budge, so he took out his knife and started to pick the lock. Luckily enough it was an extremely old building and the lock was therefore easy enough to break through.

“I'm in, I'll start with the East side lower levels,” Steve whispered before resuming radio silence. He crept down the halls checking in each room that he passed. From the look of the room Tony had been in on the videos, Steve had a hunch he was in some sort of cellar room, especially since they'd managed to flood the room with ease, must mean there were no window or such, so with that in mind, Steve headed lower down the building.

Just as he was starting to wonder how he hadn’t come across a single person as of yet Steve practically walked face first into a man coming from round a corner, and before he was even half way to drawing his gun, Steve had knocked him out cold and he hit the floor with a thud. Must be heading in the right direction then, so Steve then picked up his pace and decided to go straight to the lowest level rooms.

It was cold, dim and damp down there and it really gave Steve the chills, but he pushed on till he came face to face with a large steel locked door, surely, _surely_ this has to be it... “Guys I think I've found his location, head to the lowest level, things may get a little noisy down here so I may need some backup in keeping any other attackers at bay whilst I grab Tony,” Steve commed to his team. Just as he was lifting his hands to the locks he was struck round the back of the head with something blunt and rather heavy.

With a cry born more of shock than pain, Steve turned quickly on his heel raising his shield just in time to block a second attack. 

“My dear Captain America, risen from the dead?! You are truly a man of many skills,” and Christ Steve would now recognise that voice anywhere, the man who took his Tony, who tortured and abused him and _filmed it for his own use_ – yes, Steve recognised that voice, and it sent him into a sudden rage of anger. 

“Oh believe me, if I had the time I’d gladly use some of my finer skills to give you just a taste of what I’m truly capable of, but lowlife scum like you don’t deserve my time, I'm taking Tony and you’d better pray he doesn’t later seek to finish what I’m going to start right now...” Steve spoke quickly dodging the gun the captor drew out and knocking it swiftly to the ground and out of reach with one sleek hit from his shield.

Unarmed and now unprotected, Steve didn't hold back in his attack, he struck at every part of the man’s body he knew would cause the most pain, he just couldn't hold back after all these days of torture he'd watched Tony endure, he was so lost within his lust for revenge that he nearly struck at Clint when he attempted to pull Steve away.

“Steve, _we don't have time for this buddy,_ go get Tony- Natasha is busy with a group of guards a floor up and I'll keep any from blocking out exit, _hurry!”_ Clint said whilst using all his strength to push Steve into action and away from Tony's captor. 

Steve looked down at the now bloodied and beat up face of the man, he was just barely conscious and groaning at his injuries. Steve didn't feel that he'd had enough, but Clint was right, he had to get to Tony. Just before Steve could leave though, the captor began to laugh as he spat a mouth full of blood to his side, “That right, go get your boy,” he said with a nasty smile blooming over his reddened teeth, “go see the little gift I left him just before you came...” and with that, Clint landed the final blow to his head knocking the bastard out.

“......oh God, _Tony.......”_ Steve mumbled in fear of what his captor had done to him, Steve turned and with all his strength- he rammed his shield into the door that he prayed Tony was behind.


	12. Chapter 12

STEVE:

 

With the speed and force in which Steve had hit the door, the momentum carried him at least half way into the room before he could even stop. He desperately turned in search of Tony, and finally, _finally-_ he had him within his sight, practically within arms reach!

_“Tony!!”_ Steve chocked out his name in a sudden sob of relief, Tony was curled up on his side facing away from Steve, and hadn't responded to the call of his name. Steve consciously decided to approach him carefully, the last time Steve had seen Tony he'd been drugged and could still be disorientated, and the last time Tony had seen Steve, well... he thought he'd watched him die. Though the closer Steve got to Tony, all restraint in his approach was lost and he darted to Tony's side in the blink of an eye once he'd noticed the hilt of a knife lodge in the inventors thigh.

“No! Jesus, _Tony,_ Tony- it’s Steve, come on wake up for me- we’re getting you out of here, Tony please open you eyes!” Steve begged as he ripped the edge of Tony’s shirt off and using the material to tie just above where the knife was hideously protruding from his leg in an attempt to cut off the blood flow and slow the bleeding- knowing not to pull the knife out right there and then as it could cause more damage,- “please Tony, open your eyes, look at me darling, _please,_ your safe now- we found you, come on I need you to _wake up!”_ Steve cried out almost hysterically, Tony had endured so much, he couldn't die now- not now, Steve couldn't lose him, not if he could help it!

Tony shifted slightly, groaned in obvious pain but his eyes cracked open - just ever so slightly.

_“...ste, ..Steve......”_ Tony whispered almost too quietly to hear as he blinked through a sudden stream of tears. He chocked on a cry as he tried and failed to move.

“No, no- Tony don’t try to move, you're badly hurt, Tony- look at me – we’re getting you out of here, I promise, just stay awake for me, can you do that?” Steve asked as calmly as he could keep his voice. Steve noticed with dismay that his pupils were blown, so his captors had obviously drugged him _again_ before stabbing him. 

Tony just looked up at him through teary eyes and blinked them from his view, his breath seemed to catch in his throat as he started to gently shiver, _“I miss you, you know- I don't know how I'll make it through with out you Steve.....”_ Tony whispered as his tears flowed anew, _“don’t know if I’ve got it in me anymore....”_

And God – Steve suddenly realised that Tony obviously didn't think that Steve was really there with him, he probably thought it was just a dream,- a figment of his imagination.... He had to act fast, although he was certain the knife had missed the main artery in Tony's leg- it was still bleeding steadily and Tony seemed as if he would pass out again any second now. 

“Tony, _baby I'm here,_ it’s honestly me- you’re not dreaming, I didn't die Tony, that wasn't me- that other guy the captors killed- it wasn't me....!” Steve told him desperately. Tony breathed long and deep and just stared brokenly into Steve's eyes, and Steve- for the life of him, couldn't even guess if Tony had understood, let alone heard what Steve had said, he just stared as if he was still caught in that moment when Steve had died in front of him. Tony then suddenly looked away as his eyes slowly closed and he began to slip into unconsciousness.

“No, _no_ Tony- NO Stay awake, Tony open your eyes!!” but his head lulled to the side and he was out cold. Wasting no more time, Steve hauled Tony into his arms being mindful of the knife and held on tight to the most important person in his world as he carried him out to safety. 

“Guys I’ve got him, we’re coming out now- Clint, Natasha can you cover our exit, we’ll take the front side entrance, Bruce set the jet down ASAP – Tony needs medical attention, Clint can take over with flight once we’re on,” Steve commanded with urgency. He heard no response through his comm but he was certain that that his instructions were heard and he was completely confident that his team would follow them, he trusted them with his life- but now he also had to trust them with Tony's. 

Steve made his way up to the ground levels and was met by the sight of both Clint and Natasha subduing and tying up the last of the attackers. He knew they could handle themselves with this task and shortly they were left standing amidst the last of the fallen guards. S.H.I.E.L.D were due to arrive shortly and would take them all into their custody. They then made their exit from the building and hurried onto the now downed jet. 

Steve ran on first as fast as he could and as gently as possible, he laid Tony down across the longest stretch of seating to the side of the jet. “BRUCE! _BRUCE,_ quick he’s hurt- he’s been stabbed in the leg- knife’s still in there,” Steve shouted breathlessly and stepped back to allow Banner, who was quickly approaching with his med kit to administer first aid.

Steve distantly heard Clint running past him and over to the pilot seat, and could feel Nathan come to stand beside him once she’d boarded. But he couldn't take his eye off Tony, how he lay there- so still... so quiet, it just wasn’t right,- he was so used to seeing Tony- always moving, hands always busy, never stopping for breath with how he would talk and describe new inventions, new projects, upgrades- anything and everything, but now.... He was so still, his eyes fully closed and his head lay loosely against the seating. Steve noticed how pale he looked, he was littered with cuts and bruises and had a constant pained look in his expression- even in unconsciousness. 

Bruce was quick but precise in his ministrations of first aid, he hurriedly packed the stab area around the knife with thick bandaging and reapplied new ties to help slow the bleeding from the wound. Steve then watched as he fully and carefully checked the rest of the damage done to the inventor. He suddenly felt a wash of unbelievable rage as he saw the darker bruising under Tony's shirt along his chest, the mix of bleeding and healing wounds and the steadily and obviously reopened bleeding welts across his back. Steve started to breathe deeper as he felt his hands start to shake and his eyes slowly fill as he witnessed first hand the hurts Tony had endured.

“Will he be ok?” Steve asked- desperate to know. 

After attaching an IV line to Tony's arm Bruce turned and closing his eyes he messaged the bridge of his nose, Steve knew that mannerism - Bruce was definitely stressed and worried.

“He’s very beat up, it looks as though he has sustained damage to his back- most probably from a whip from the look of the wounds, but even though they've started the healing process, from all the movement and strain they've pretty much opened up again, I've packed them up as best I can but some will need stitching. He’s definitely got more than one cracked rib, he’s highly dehydrated and has a lot of bruising as well as some shallow stab wounds. I've given him some morphine for the pain but he's clearly been subjected to some kind of drug which is keeping him under,- his pupils are blown and he’s non responsive, he’ll likely remain unconscious for a long time. The blade in his thigh has thankfully missed the major artery but he will need surgery to safely remove it, and fast.” Bruce stated clinically, though Steve could easily hear the strain and undertone of anger in his voice at what his friend had suffered. 

Clint manoeuvred the plane with speed and precision as they flew at top speed taking Tony to the S.H.I.E.L.D medical station, Bruce had already spoken with the medical staff informing them of what to expect so they could be ready and prepare for the minute they arrive.

There was little more they could do for Tony till they got there other than to keep watch over him and monitor his vitals. Without question, Steve had placed himself directly by Tony's side sitting crouched on the floor right beside him, and nothing on this earth could make Steve leave his side, not now,- _not ever._

Steve was gently stroking his fingers through Tony's hair and smoothing them over the bruising which marred his jaw line, he breathed a sigh- wishing he could make every one of them disappear. “You’re safe now Tony - I promise, I'll never let them get their hands on you again, they’ll never see the outside of a cell if I've got anything to do with it. We’ll get you to a doctor, we’ll get you well then we’ll get you home, I won't leave your side Tony, not for a second if that's what you want.....” Steve whispered as he gently brushed the longer locks of hair from Tony's eyes, “you just gotta hold on, just a while longer- we’ll get you to S.H.I.E.L.D as quickly as possible, just stay with me _.....please......”_ Steve said gently placing his head down next to Tony's, “I'm sorry, I'm so, _so sorry Tony.....”_ Steve said, voice gently breaking at the end. 

He remained by Tony's side for the remainder of the journey, gently speaking soft comforts to him and holding watch of Tony's vitals. None of the others said anything and Steve wasn’t sure whether they'd heard what he said to Tony or not, but in any case- he didn't really care if they had, he was too overwhelmed and ridiculously exhausted to care.

“Steve, we’re just about to touch down- the medics are ready and waiting by the landing pad with a gurney to take him straight down to surgery,” Natasha called from the front of the jet some time later bringing Steve out of his darkened thoughts. Bruce removed the now used IV line and once again, Steve scooped Tony up into his arms to finally get him the medical attention he needed.

The medics wasted no time with pleasantries and swiftly accepted Tony onto the gurney rattling of medical jargon left and right and before Steve could even blink- they'd wheeled him away inside.

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They'd sat for what felt like hours on end with little news of Tony other than- _‘he’s currently in surgery,_ and- _we'll update you when we know more...'_

Steve had always thought he was a patient man, always thought he could keep his cool- even under pressure, but hell- he was really struggling to keep his temper in check and the panic at bay right now. 

He was sat with Clint and Natasha in a small waiting room whilst Bruce had gone with the doctors to assist with the surgery since he knew more about Tony's arc reactor than anyone else, barring Tony himself, and could be useful if there were any complications with regards to that. 

Steve couldn't stop fidgeting, couldn't shut his mind off,- _will he make it? Will he have scars for life? Will he suffer from nightmares from this as he had after Afghanistan? Will he blame Steve,- would he hate him for this?!_ Steve shook his head in anger, he had no right to be feeling sorry for himself like this, _no right at all!_ He just prayed that Tony made it through the surgery, and then after that?.... They would just have to take it one day at a time.

Bruce came in through the door, still in scrubs after what felt like an eternity and Steve stood up so fast he felt dizzy. After closing the door behind him he spoke gently to the three of them, “he’s alright, he's out of surgery- he’s going to be fine,” he said with the ghost of a soft and compassionate smile. 

The relief of hearing the news he’d been longing for had Steve's legs give out beneath him and he abruptly found himself seated again- guided by the strong but gentle hands of Natasha before he could hit the ground.

“The knife has been removed, he lost a lot of blood and required a hefty blood transfusion, many of the wounds needed stitching and they've set his fractured ribs as best as possible,- there will be a lot of pain, and we have no idea what state of mind he’ll be in until he wakes up. He's being kept under for now though to allow for the remainder of the drugs to leave his system.” Bruce continued. He looked absolutely worn out,- they all did, but the relief of hearing that Tony had survived was enough to keep them going.

“Can I see him?” Steve almost begged looking up with pleading eyes, it was one thing to hear that Tony was alright, but Steve wouldn't be content till he saw it for his own eyes.

“He won't be awake for some time, but you can sit with him- they’re taking him down to a private recovery room now, I'll take you there,” Bruce offered kindly.

Steve looked to Clint and Natasha and they all silently made their way out the room and through the S.H.I.E.L.D medical to where they’d taken Tony.

Steve couldn’t help it when upon entering the room, his mind instantly supplied that- Tony is going to _hate this room,_ it was so clinical, too white, too bare and it smelt of antiseptic, anything remotely resembling hospitals and Tony hated it. Every time in the past that Tony had either woken up in hospital, or got forced to go there he had discharged himself as swiftly as possible, even against the recommendations of the doctors and nurses. Steve just hoped he wouldn't try to leave this time, especially after what he's been through.

He looked across to where Tony lay, and God he looked so pale, so hurt. He was attached to another IV drip and various other bleeping machines monitoring his progress. A nurse was just finishing up with the equipment and walked over towards them all standing at the door.

“I assume Dr Banner has informed you of the current situation- we've settled Mr Stark down and although we can't tell precisely when he'll come round, he will most likely be under for a while. There is a rest room with a shower stall adjacent to this room and we’ve set out fresh towels and clothing for you all. We've brought in some chairs but if you need to reset there are family rooms just down the hall from here, we’ll bring you all something to eat and drink in a while but please don't hesitate to ask any of us if there's anything you need,” the nurse said kindly before making to exit.

“Thank you so much, we really appreciate it,” Steve said with genuine gratitude as he started to make his way over to sit in the chair right next to Tony. 

Bruce checked over at Tony one more time before leaving the room with the nurse, most likely to go over Tony's recovery plan. Clint took first dibs on the shower leaving Natasha to glare at his swiftly retreating back and take the seat opposite Steve and right by Tony.

“Hey shell-head, tough as nails you are,- knew you'd make it through,” she spoke with a world of affection while gently placing a soft kiss on Tony's temple, “we’re here for you, Tony,- we’ll be right here,” she promised with certainty whilst gently taking his hand into her own, she looked over to Steve and he instantly felt strength from her presence.


	13. Chapter 13

TONY:

Pain..... _Why_ was he always waking up to _pain,_ and not only physical, but emotional agony would rip through him with his body's every attempt at awakening, but within seconds of his dreams retreating, he realised that consciousness was not what he wanted, or where he wanted to be- because that was where Steve _wasn't._

The hurt and terror of which his captors could, and _have_ inflicted only had Tony wishing even more for the bliss of unconsciousness, he knew deep down that it was a cowardly thing to wish for, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

Tony had no idea how long he’d been out this time, but he could feel the edges of the waking world pulling him closer, his mind felt fuzzy and he could still feel the effects of the drugs which had been used on him. Suddenly, he remembered a dream he thought he'd had, he’d dreamt he’d seen Steve, that Steve and the rest of his team had found him, had rescued him and taken him home. In the dream he'd opened his eyes- if only to satisfy his imagination and to put an end to the painfully worried rambling he could hear coming from Steve, his head had hurt and his heart couldn’t take the imaginary Steve calling him _baby,_ not when it wasn't really him, not when it would _never_ be him, it just hurt _too much._

He groaned at the upsetting memory, eyes filling with tears which made their escape from under his closed lids, and he yelped in pain as he tried to shift and curl up on his side,- but as he did, he felt hands on him.... _No,_ uh no, please, _no more!_ He couldn't take it, he was certain he had hit and surpassed breaking point, why couldn't they just let him be?!!

He struggled feebly against the hands grabbing him and prayed that they would stop,- he could distantly hear shouting, and strangely worried tones but the noises all jumbled up into one and it became overwhelming. He was sure he could hear screaming, it sounded like his voice but he couldn’t tell and wasn’t completely sure if it was... He'd cried out so often in the last days – he just guessed it was his mind’s way of attempting to cope with everything that had happened.

Searing pain suddenly flared up in his chest as a result of his struggles against the restraining hands, they were trying to hold him down, keep him captive and he just couldn't let them hurt him more, it was too much! He could just about make out the sound of sometime calling for him to be put under again and his thrashing attempts at getting away from what he knew was to come were to not avail as he felt the now familiar jab of a needle and he slowly succumbed to the darkness once again.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a short one, but I'll have the next chapter up today as well :)


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more chapter to go after this :o

STEVE:

 

Steve hadn't left Tony's side for more than a few mere minutes since he’d first sat vigil by his side in the recovery room. He'd only left to hurriedly tend to washing and changing out of his suit into a clean set of clothes, he'd barely eaten since he didn't think his stomach would hold it down, but Bruce had forced him to at least drink some water.

It was almost 24 hours before Tony began to stir. Steve was still sat by his side- lost in his own thoughts when he heard a quiet groan come from Tony. Steve's eyes immediately shot up to his face where he saw Tony’s eyes rapidly moving left to right underneath his closed eye lids.

“... _Tony?...”_ Steve breathed in hope as Natasha shifted closer in her chair. But then Tony suddenly made to move- as if to roll onto his side and with knowing that this would put pressure on his damage ribs and cause him pain- Steve made to gently place his hands on Tony's shoulders and guide him back onto his back. 

But without warning, Tony suddenly let loose a cry of pain which escalated to thrashing and out right screaming. 

“Tony! Tony- stop! Tony your safe, calm down Tony- open your eyes!” Steve tried in vain to calm the thrashing man down. Natasha too had to help keep Tony still as his movements were starting to cause the heart rate monitor to spike.

At the blaring sound of the machines a flood of nurses and doctors came running into the room,- 

“...... Hold him down, hold him still- he could seriously hurt himself of we don't....” Steve heard one nurse say. 

“Tony! Tony come on shell-head it’s _us,_ \- wake up darling!” Steve could hear Natasha say worriedly on Tony's other side.

“He's not responding, we need to put him under- before he really hurts himself,” the doctor decided, and _damn it!_ Steve just couldn't get through to Tony, nothing he said was working. 

The doctors swiftly administered the drugs which took effect almost immediately, and Tony slowly stopped screaming and gradually stopped thrashing. 

Both Steve and Natasha moved to one side to allow the medical staff better access to check Tony over as they both attempted to calm their rapid breathing. 

“I can't bear to see him like this Nat, _I can't_ .....” Steve breathed through his anxiety but was pulled into a strong hug before he could even break down.

“I know Steve, - I know it's tough, but stay strong, remember what I said- he needs us, he _needs you,_ and you'll be no use to him in this state,” she said truthfully, “He will come round, he will wake up, and we need to be strong for him.” 

She wiped away the stray tears now tracking down his cheeks with the pad of her thumbs and gave him a confident nod, “You can do this, you both can- I've always believed that you'd get there in the end.” And with that she went back to check with the nurse on how Tony was doing. 

Steve breathed and willed himself to calm, he knew she was right, she was _always_ right when it came to himself and Tony. 

Thankfully, Tony had caused no more damage other than to rip the IV from his arm which had now been easily reattached. Bruce and Clint had returned to the room at the sound of the commotion, and one the medical staff were happy with Tony's status, they left the room leaving the four remaining Avengers to keep watch over Tony again. 

.  
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It was a long time before Tony began to stir again, Bruce, Nat and Clint had all stayed and sat with Tony, but had left in turn to also tend to their own needs. But Steve still hadn’t budged an inch from where he sat by Tony. 

It was late at night and Steve was sitting alone with Tony, quietly sketching away on a piece of scrap paper he’d found lying around when Tony began to gently move, his breathing became less even and his eyes slowly fluttered below his lashes. 

_“Tony?.....”_ Steve called quietly, praying for Tony to remain calm as possible this time. Then, like a thirst being quenched- Steve couldn't hold back the sound of relief when Tony slowly opened his eyes and looked straight into Steve's.

_“Tony,_ it’s ok- you’re safe, you’re in the S.H.I.E.L.D medical, you’re safe now,” Steve said thinking to reassure Tony as soon as possible.

But Tony didn't scream, or didn't struggle this time, he just stared through bleary and red rimmed eyes at Steve before slowly sitting half up right and drawing in one single harsh and shuddering breath.

_“...s'not real....”_ Tony quietly said whilst blinking back the sudden tears when his lips began to quiver, _“....not real....”_ he repeated a second time. His breathing then became more erratic as he seemed to channel a burst of energy to cry out, “he _killed you! you’re gone... you’re......”_ but Tony couldn't seem to finish his sentence before he choked out a broken cry before whispering _“it was my fault.....”_

“No! God Tony no! None of this was your fault, not one damn part of it! God Tony, that wasn't me- it wasn't me, the person they killed, it wasn't _me,_ I didn't die Tony, I'm here- I'm right here- I promise, believe me!” Steve begged as he grabbed on to Tony's hand and held on tight. “Tony, I'm so, _so_ sorry for what you've been through, I'm sorry we didn't get to you sooner, I'm sorry we couldn't stop them,- God Tony I _love you–_ I love you _so damn much!_ I think I always have and I'm so sorry it took me so long to realise, I was so blind and stupid to not see it, I'm just so sorry.......” Steve panted for breath at his confession and desperately searched deep in to Tony's eyes for understanding, for having at least _heard him_ this time.

And the seconds passed,,, _painfully slow_ as all Tony did was continue to stare- almost hollowly into Steve's eyes... And then he looked down to where his right hand was held in Steve's, and then gently squeeze his grasp, as if testing, as if _willing_ this to all be real. And that's when Tony suddenly broke down, he crumpled forward in a fit of wracking cries but Steve was right up by his side before he could fall, he took Tony into his arms and the inventor grasped back, holding on as if for dear life.

“I thought it was _you...._ Steve- _I thought it was you!_ Oh God _please_ let this be real, please say this is real, I couldn't.... I..... I couldn't cope if........” Tony choked out between heaving sobs as he held on tight in Steve's hold,............ “I _love you Steve......”_

And that instant, Steve grasped Tony's shoulders and gently drew him back to look straight into his eyes. He placed his hands softly to the sides of Tony's face and carefully wiped away the tears that were there with all the affection he could pour into the gesture, “it’s real darling, I'm here, I'm right here....” Steve whispered, heart clenching from the pain and sadness he could see displayed so clearly on Tony's face.

Tony continued to breathe in, long and deep as he slowly calmed down from his panic. He was staring back into Steve's eyes, and before Steve had realised it- he’d leaned forward, still with Tony's face cupped in his hands to bring his lips to Tony's in the sweetest of kisses. Time stopped, and the edges of his world all zeroed down to the man in front of him as Tony kissed him back. It seemed as though it was all the physical confirmation that Tony needed because as he raised his hands to grab hold the front of Steve's shirt and pull him closer in a tight grip. 

Steve held on tight to Tony and poured all the emotion, all the feelings he held for Tony into that first kiss, and _God_ it was like a dream, he had Tony _back,_ he was alive, and Steve would help him through this, help him heal and help him to be happy. Steve would be by his side- every step of the way. 

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Tony's recovery was no easy feat,- after he’d woken that second time he’d swiftly fallen back asleep and remained unconscious for a further day and night. The doctors were happy with his this wounds and how they were healing, and were pleased that no infections had taken hold.

The next time Tony had woken it was with an abrupt cry as he instantly attempted to scramble way from the nurses who were checking his vitals,- but Steve was right there, talking to Tony, holding him close and bringing him back from his nightmares. And this happened many times through Tony's recovery, and each time Steve would be there, right there with him to ground him- as he vowed to _God himself,_ that he always would be.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter, this one's a treat for the boys since I've put them through such a tough time- warning for some smut in this one, if that's not your kind of thing then the previous chapter can also serve as a final I guess :)  
> Enjoy

Five weeks later.....

 

“Tony?.... _Tony!?”_ Steve called as he nudged his way into Tony’s workshop, arms ladened with bags full of the inventors favourite takeout. “Thank you, Jarvis,” he said as the AI swung the door open for Steve in aid of his obvious struggles to handle both the door and the bags of food simultaneously.

“My pleasure, Captain,” he replied smoothly, and Steve couldn’t help but smile affectionately in response. 

Steve moved further into the room placing the bags on top of one of the only clutter free surfaces in the near vicinity and headed towards the sound of welding coming from his right, and there he found Tony- working away on some part or other of his latest Iron Man suit. 

Steve smiled as he felt the usual warmth and affection that would blossom in his chest each and every time he looked at Tony. He was so absorbed in his work, tongue adorably poking out in concentration that he hadn't even heard or seen Steve approach. All of the bruises and cuts Tony sustained had healed and faded away nicely, though the damage caused by the whip would most likely leave marks that may be permanent, - Steve was just glad that Tony couldn't see those so easily, not if he didn't want to, the last thing he needed we a constant reminder of what he'd been through. 

Tony's mental state also improved drastically over the past few weeks. Almost every time he’d awoken in the hospital it was to the sound of his own screams, - some were the echo of fear and pain, and some were cries for Steve, for Steve not to die and not to leave him,- and Steve’s heart broke just a little more each time this happened, and each time he would hold Tony close and calm him down by speaking softly and promising Tony that he was alright, that they were both ok.

As soon as Tony was given the all clear he was out of the medical ward and making his way back to his tower at lightning speed, and with the help of Steve and the rest of the Avengers, this was managed with as little fuss and difficulty as possible.

It took time, and it took a lot of adjustment, but Tony slowly became less jumpy, less drawn in on himself, began to smile and laugh and joke again,- that's not to say there wasn't still healing to do, but Tony was making leaps and bounds where that was concerned. 

Steve called his name again and gestured to the food on the counter - raising his eyebrows in invitation when Tony finally looked up.

“Awh baby, you know me so well,” Tony said smoothly as he stood up and removed the protective gear from his face and hands. Steve noticed that Tony was wearing the clothes he always uses under his Iron Man suit, and for the life of him he couldn't help but admire the way Tony looked in it. The under suit just hugged his body in _all_ the right places, defined his chest, his arms, his legs, his..... _God,_ Steve mentally shook his head,- he had to focus, he was hear for a reason, ummmm...... _food._

He drew his eyes back up from where they'd wandered to meet Tony's, and the inventor was just standing there, evil little smirk creeping to his lips,- like he new! But Steve drew in a breath and pulled himself together.

“Got your favourite, think I've ordered enough for ten, but I'm sure we can manage it between us,” Steve said with amusement and no doubt in his mind as he went and sat on the large sofa by where he'd placed the food. Tony hummed in approval on inspection of the bags and placed himself opposite Steve on a higher swivel chair. 

As per usual, whilst they tucked in- Tony started telling Steve about what he's been working on, what he's hoping to add and change to his armour, about new upgrades, improvements for the teams weapons and gear and Steve felt so happy in that moment, Tony looked so relaxed, so animated and enthusiastic and Steve was just so thankful for every day that he was. 

So far things were going very well between the two of them, they hadn't done much other than being close to one another and kissing really since Tony's recovery took main priority, but Tony was a great kisser, Steve wasn’t embarrassed to say that he didn't have much experience in that... Or any other department, but as Tony had suggestively said a few days back- it was no problem, he had all the time in the world to learn.

As they finished up what they could, Steve's eyes were drawn to Tony's hand as the genius slowly took each of his fingers into his own mouth to remove the cream he’d somehow managed to make a mess with, and by the time the last digit left Tony's mouth- Steve had practically stopped breathing. _God,_ the things that Tony made Steve feel were just filthy, but he was only human, and Tony really _really_ looked good in his under suit right now......

Steve hadn't realised that both he and Tony had gone quiet until he raised his once again wondering eyes to meet the man's in front of him, and damn it, he didn't think he could survive the tension in the room much longer. Tony slowly licked his lips as they beautifully parted and Steve couldn't help it when his breathing became that little bit deeper and rhythmic. 

And as if something had just snapped in Tony's mind, the inventor abruptly stood, walked round the table separating them and placed himself right on Steve's lap with his knees straddled either side of Steve’s legs and dived in for a fully open mouthed kiss. 

Steve’s mind took only a second to catch up with what was suddenly happening, but when it did, he placed one arm around Tony's waist to pull him closer and the other to cup the side of his face as he deepened the kiss. And in response- Tony let out a beautifully deep moan of pleasure that travelled right the way down to Steve's slowly hardening member. But when Tony decided to up the game and suddenly grind his now also hardening cock against Steve's, even through their layers of clothing- it felt _so damn good_ that Steve had loudly and involuntarily released a groan of pure pleasure and desire.

Tony's head snapped up breaking their kiss to look deep into Steve's eyes, and _heavens above_ he looked down right sinful right then with his pupils blown wide in lust, kiss swollen and parted red lips and the way he slowly panted his breaths. 

Steve just couldn't hold back anymore as he plunged straight back in for another hot and messy kiss, and when Tony once again deepened his seat in Steve's lap, he too ground back hard in response – only to be rewarded by such a filthy sound from Tony's lips that Steve thought he might finish there and then before they could even start.

“Are you sure Tony?” Steve panted between breaths, he knew Tony had recovered vastly since everything that had happened, and he knew Tony was capable of knowing his own mind and limits, but it couldn't hurt just to check and be sure.

_“Oh God Steve... I want you so badly!......_ I'm sure, I promise,” he practically moaned right before latching on to Steve’s neck with his lips and sucking down hard. Steve tilted his head to the side to allow Tony better access as he busied himself with mapping every inch of the inventor he could reach with his hands. 

With the pair of then now practically rock hard, Tony pulled back, playful smile lighting up his face as he moved his hands down to the zipper on Steve’s jeans, and oh- did his breath catch in his throat the second he felt Tony's hand releasing his straining cock from its confines. 

He didn’t hold back a second longer before busying himself with releasing Tony's also hardened member, and God Tony was big, not quite as large as Steve but definitely beautifully large. 

Steve's breath shuddered as he once again looked deep into Tony's eyes and wondered at how it was possible to love the man in front of him any more.

Tony then shifted in Steve's lap and slowly lined up their cocks taking both into his hand .... Then started to gently stroke and pump his fist up and down. They were both of them now panting in unison, and Steve let out an almost yelp when Tony brushed his hand over their weeping heads which only added slickness to the motion of Tony's movement. 

Steve allowed Tony to set the pace and met it with ease. He could feel that he was close, could feel that familiar tightening and pressure start in his lower stomach and work it’s way up his legs. But he was absolutely determined to hold on, to make this last and to watch Tony come apart first. He'd seen Tony's face display every imaginable emotion since from when he’d first met him, seen him happy, seen him sad, angry, joyful..... But he’s never seen him so lost in pleasure, so deep in the throws of sex and Steve will be damned if he was going to miss this now....

Tony was close, Steve was sure as his movements started to become jerky and faster, and when Tony suddenly placed his lips to latch on to Steve's neck once again, he gently pulled him back to within his sight,

“...... _no_ .....” Steve breathed between pants and moans, “look at me love,- want to see you,” he begged and hoped Tony understood. And it seemed as he did since he locked eyes with Steve and stroked their cocks with renewed vigour. 

Their sounds of pleasure were now completely filling the room and Steve was distantly glad that it was sound proof, because neither of them were holding back one bit. 

“Uh, _God Steve I'm,_ I'm gunna....... _I'm gunna_ ......” Tony cried as his eyes suddenly became glassy and unfocused, and Steve had never in his life seen anything so beautiful as the second Tony's eyes rolled back- closing his eyelids as he fully tilted his head back, mouth wide open in a silent cry as he came, orgasm spilling over Tony’s still pumping hand. 

And seeing that was all it took to tip Steve over the edge as his own orgasm ripped through him and he came into Tony’s now gentile grasp. 

Completely sated and physically worn out, Steve collapsed backwards into the sofa gently pulling Tony with him into a loose and sprawling hug. 

Tony smiled sweetly as he was pulled down and went with no resistance and Steve's heart just swelled at that. He reached over and grabbed a near by napkin to swiftly clean them both off before the mess they'd created became too uncomfortable, and Steve definitely didn't want that since he felt so content- he didn't want to move.

“I love you darling.... so much....” Steve whispered to Tony as he began to comb his fingers gently through the inventors hair and placed a soft kiss on his temple.

“I love you too,” Tony replied, holding on to Steve as he gently drifted off to sleep, and Steve couldn't think of any other place he’d rather be than right here at this very moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, and here I was hoping this story would be at least 10k words :') think I got carried away! Thank you so much for all the kudos and extremely lovely comments I've received- it's way more than I'd expected and I'm ridiculously happy by it!
> 
> If at least one person has enjoyed reading this half as much as I've enjoyed writing it- then I've achieved my goal :) <3


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